NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Russian President Vladimir Putin at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as the 18th BRICS Summit begins under India’s chairship.
During the welcome of BRICS leaders, PM Modi welcomed the leaders against the backdrop of the iconic Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
On Friday, PM Modi held separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, met United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and addressed the BRICS Business Forum, making for a day of intensive diplomacy as India hosts the grouping’s summit under its 2026 chairship.
The meeting with Putin was the second between the two leaders this year. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders had earlier met on the sidelines of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek in August.
The leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation across political, economic, defence, energy, space, skill mobility and people-to-people domains, the MEA said.
The discussions also included India’s BRICS chairship and India-Russia engagement in the multilateral sphere, besides key regional and global issues, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region.
In a major diplomatic breakthrough, a joint statement will be issued by the BRICS nations during the summit today.
BRICS countries have reached consensus on a Joint Statement after intensive negotiations that continued until 4 am on Saturday. The negotiations saw differences on several contentious issues. India led sustained consultations to bridge competing positions and build consensus among members.
