BRICS Summit: From trade to defence, energy and space

BRICS Summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on September 11, on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders this year. The two leaders had met earlier in Bishkek on the sidelines of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit on August 31 2026.

The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, defence, energy, space, skills mobility, and people-to-people domains, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Modi also raised the safety of Indian seafarers in the Black Sea with Putin, reiterating India's readiness to support any peace initiative to end the Ukraine conflict as both leaders agreed to ramp up bilateral trade ties amid growing geopolitical upheaval, news agency PTI said.

They welcomed Russia’s International Industrial Exhibition "INNOPROM India", which was held for the first time in India from September 9-11, 2026 and underscored its importance in further expanding trade and industrial ties. The two leaders also visited the INNOPROM India exhibition and interacted with the participants, the MEA said.

“The leaders exchanged views on India-Russia engagement in the multilateral sphere, in particular in BRICS under India’s Chairship for 2026. They also shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region, which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers. Prime Minister once again reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward in resolving conflicts and India stood ready to assist in peace efforts,” the MEA note said.

The two leaders agreed to remain engaged to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to grow significantly and has shown resilience amid geopolitical uncertainties.

“President Putin invited the Prime Minister to visit Russia for the 24th India-Russia Annual Summit. The Prime Minister accepted the invitation. The dates of the Summit will be decided as per mutual convenience through diplomatic channels,” the MEA note read.

Putin landed in New Delhi on Friday, beginning his three-day visit to India. Putin will participate in the BRICS summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation during the visit.

Putin is accompanied by a high-level delegation. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs, KV Singh, at the airport on Friday morning.

PM Modi gifted Putin a copy of the Russian Translation of the Thirukkural. Thirukkural means "sacred couplets" or "sacred verses" in Tamil, derived from the words Thiru (sacred/blessed) and Kural (short two-line poetic form). It is a celebrated classical Tamil ethical and moral text written by the poet Thiruvalluvar.

Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience. Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times. Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership. Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter. Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.

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