Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday began key bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.
In his second visit to India since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Putin arrived at the Palam Air Force Station in Delhi in the early hours of Friday for the three-day visit, where he was received by Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh.
The Friday talks are also the Kremlin chief's first in-person appearance at a BRICS Summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine.
Energy, defence, and economic cooperation are expected to feature on the agenda, with India's role in possibly mediating an end to the Ukraine war coming up as well.
This would build on Modi's talks with Putin at the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where the former had called for a shift from "endless war towards the end of war".
On the defence front, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said on Tuesday that both sides were exploring BrahMos missile upgrades and proposals for the supply of Su-57 fighter jets to India. He also reiterated that Moscow was committed to fulfilling its remaining S-400 system deliveries.
He added that the energy ties between the two countries were already robust, and that both sides could discuss cooperation for India's plan to set up new civil nuclear reactors.
Ahead of the talks, sources had told PTI that the two sides will also focus on the roadmap towards their ambitious trade target of $100 billion by 2030.
Expanding industrial cooperation with Russia, collaboration in the rail sector and tunnelling, developing the steel value chain and broadening access to the Russian market for Indian exporters are also set to figure in the talks, they said.
After its latest expansion, BRICS bloc has 10 full members, including Indonesia and Iran, as well as 10 “partner nations” ranging from Belarus to Vietnam. Saudi Arabia has yet to formalise its accession to full membership.
Heads of international organisations such as the UN, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are also expected to attend, in addition to representatives of major business organisations.
