Putin, Xi and Pezeshkian set for talks with Modi as BRICS summit faces deep divisions over Middle East war
Russian President Vladimir Putin waves after arriving at Palam Air Base in New Delhi on September 11, 2026. — AFP pic
Summary
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in New Delhi for an 11-member BRICS summit, focusing on wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and addressing global economic challenges.
- Key meetings are planned, including discussions between Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Chinese President Xi Jinping also expected to engage in talks.
- Amid heightened security, this summit occurs against the backdrop of a cautious improvement in India-China relations, although significant challenges remain.
- The BRICS forum faces internal dynamics due to its expanded membership, complicating consensus on geopolitical issues, especially relating to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
First Published: Friday, 11 Sep 2026 8:54 AM MYT
NEW DELHI, Sept 11 — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Indian capital today ahead of an 11-member BRICS summit set to be dominated by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges.
Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Chinese President Xi Jinping was also expected to meet him on the sidelines of the two-day meeting, according to Indian diplomatic sources.
Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, where he was greeted by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, according to footage broadcast by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.
For China’s Xi, it will be his first visit to India since 2019 and marks the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the rival neighbours, six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border.
Ties between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have been warming again recently, with flights, visas and high-level contacts gradually being restored.
However, deep mistrust remains, with their contested frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry still complicating ties.
Fault line
Posters of a beaming Modi line streets across New Delhi to welcome leaders, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital and widespread traffic restrictions in central districts. Delhi police have urged people to be patient and cooperative.
BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.
It has since expanded and now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—three countries with sharply differing positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.
“The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit,” said Harsh V. Pant of India’s Observer Research Foundation.
“What was seen until last year as an achievement—the expansion of BRICS—today looks like a big constraint on BRICS,” Pant said.
It will be Pezeshkian’s first visit to India as Iranian president, and will put the Middle East conflict firmly on the agenda.
“The war in Iran will provide a stern test of the (expanded) group’s cohesion,” said Shilan Shah of Capital Economics, noting the failure of the BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May.
India maintains cordial relations with Iran and Israel, but is also careful to strike a delicate balance in its ties with Washington.
India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the Iran war in part by turning to Russia, one of its most important strategic partners and its most controversial fuel supplier in recent years as the war against Ukraine drags on.
Putin last visited India in December 2025, but he also met Modi in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, this month.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war”. — AFP
Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Chinese President Xi Jinping was also expected to meet him on the sidelines of the two-day meeting, according to Indian diplomatic sources.
Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, where he was greeted by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, according to footage broadcast by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.
For China’s Xi, it will be his first visit to India since 2019 and marks the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the rival neighbours, six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border.
Ties between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have been warming again recently, with flights, visas and high-level contacts gradually being restored.
However, deep mistrust remains, with their contested frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry still complicating ties.
Fault line
Posters of a beaming Modi line streets across New Delhi to welcome leaders, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital and widespread traffic restrictions in central districts. Delhi police have urged people to be patient and cooperative.
BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.
It has since expanded and now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—three countries with sharply differing positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.
“The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit,” said Harsh V. Pant of India’s Observer Research Foundation.
“What was seen until last year as an achievement—the expansion of BRICS—today looks like a big constraint on BRICS,” Pant said.
It will be Pezeshkian’s first visit to India as Iranian president, and will put the Middle East conflict firmly on the agenda.
“The war in Iran will provide a stern test of the (expanded) group’s cohesion,” said Shilan Shah of Capital Economics, noting the failure of the BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May.
India maintains cordial relations with Iran and Israel, but is also careful to strike a delicate balance in its ties with Washington.
India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the Iran war in part by turning to Russia, one of its most important strategic partners and its most controversial fuel supplier in recent years as the war against Ukraine drags on.
Putin last visited India in December 2025, but he also met Modi in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, this month.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war”. — AFP
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