11 September: Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in New Delhi to attend the BRICS summit and hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to an NDTV report, the talks are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in defence, energy and technology, alongside discussions on several major defence and nuclear projects.
Modi and Putin last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek last week, where the war in Ukraine was also discussed. During that meeting, Modi told the Russian president that, five years after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, humanity must move away from an “endless war” and work towards ending the conflict in the broader interests of humanity.
Friday’s bilateral talks are expected to cover the modernization of BrahMos missiles, the delivery of the remaining components of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system and the possible supply of Su-57 fighter jets. Plans to establish new civilian nuclear reactors in India are also expected to feature prominently in the discussions, according to the Kremlin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that these issues would be discussed.
During his India visit, Putin will address the annual session of the BRICS Business Forum. He is also scheduled to visit the INNOPROM exhibition with Prime Minister Modi. During the trip, Putin is expected to hold separate meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
However, Putin is not scheduled to hold a separate full-fledged bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is visiting India for the first time in seven years.
The two-day BRICS summit will begin on Saturday. Leaders from Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are expected to attend. The heads of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and New Development Bank will also participate in the summit.
The summit will conclude with the adoption of the “New Delhi Declaration” after two days of discussions. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Source: NDTV