Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi on Friday, opening a high-stakes diplomatic marathon for the 18th BRICS Leaders Summit hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gathering at Bharat Mandapam brings together leaders of the newly expanded bloc against an increasingly turbulent global backdrop, dominated by the protracted war in Ukraine, expanding hostilities across the Middle East, and acute vulnerabilities in international trade arteries[2] [3].
The summit marks a dual diplomatic milestone for host nation India. For Putin, the trip represents his first in-person attendance at an overseas BRICS summit since the Russian military launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For Chinese President Xi Jinping, his participation on September 12 and 13 ends a seven-year absence from India, signaling an accelerated thaw in relations between the two Asian rivals following their deadly 2020 border confrontations. Yet behind the pageantry, the leaders must manage sharp contradictions among member states whose economic and security priorities are increasingly pulling in different directions.
Putin Returns to the Global Stage
India welcomed the Russian delegation with substantial military and security protocol. Three Russian military transport aircraft touched down at Noida International Airport earlier in the week carrying security equipment, while Delhi Police deployed roughly 500 surveillance cameras along transit routes, as reported by CNBC-TV18. India's Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh met Putin upon landing on Friday morning, according to footage broadcast by Russian state agency RIA Novosti and reported by Agence France-Presse[1].
Prime Minister Modi quickly scheduled bilateral discussions with the Russian leader ahead of the formal working sessions, building upon talks held during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek late last month. According to The Times of India, bilateral trade, energy supplies, mobility, and military procurement form the backbone of these talks, including discussions on rare earths and advanced defense cooperation. Ahead of the meetings, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that local currency settlements now account for approximately 90 percent of trade between Russia and BRICS nations, while stressing that Moscow is not orchestrating an aggressive campaign to eliminate the US dollar.
The Modi-Xi Rapprochement
Parallel to the Russia-India dynamic, all eyes are turned toward the bilateral meeting scheduled for Saturday evening between Modi and Xi Jinping, reported by the Press Trust of India. The visit represents Xi's first journey onto Indian soil since the 2019 informal summit in Mamallapuram. Bilateral relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 Galwan Valley skirmishes, but the neighbors have taken calculated steps toward normalisation over the past year[6].
As The Hindu reported, both governments have sought to de-escalate tension along the Line of Actual Control, gradually reviving direct commercial flights, restoring visa processing, and resuming border trade. For Beijing, stabilizing relations with India offers relief amid sharpening strategic friction with the United States. For New Delhi, securing its northern frontier allows greater latitude to address its soaring manufacturing deficits and external supply-chain vulnerabilities. Significant friction nevertheless persists regarding strategic port security, regional infrastructure projects, and ongoing disagreements across frontier sectors.
Fault Lines Over the Middle East and Shipping Corridors
The expansion of BRICS to 11 full members has radically transformed the forum from a loose economic club into an arena defined by opposing strategic allegiances. The presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian alongside representatives from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia brings West Asian security directly to the summit table. The summit takes place as naval security deteriorates across the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, where tensions around the Bab al-Mandab and Strait of Hormuz threaten global maritime oil transit.
Observer Research Foundation vice president Harsh V. Pant noted to wire reporters that the wider Gulf crisis forms a major internal fault line for the expanded grouping. While Tehran and Moscow seek to frame BRICS as a counterweight against Western dominance and sanctions, members like India, the UAE, and Brazil resist transforming the bloc into an openly anti-Western coalition. Indian diplomats emphasize that New Delhi aims to preserve the platform as a non-Western vehicle focused on developmental stability, South-South trade, and global institutional reform rather than military alignment[3].
Drafting the New Delhi Declaration
The two-day summit will conclude with the negotiation of the New Delhi Declaration, which diplomats are drafting under intense pressure to reconcile opposing viewpoints. With United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attending to press for multilateral reforms, India faces the challenge of producing consensus language that addresses food and energy security without fracturing over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East[3] [5].
| Leader | Nation | Primary Diplomatic Focus | Key Friction Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narendra Modi | India | Strategic autonomy, food security, border de-escalation | Balancing Western partnerships with Russian and Chinese ties |
| Vladimir Putin | Russia | Expanding non-dollar trade and sanctions resistance | Global scrutiny over Ukraine and payment clearing obstacles |
| Xi Jinping | China | Normalizing bilateral commerce and border diplomacy | Persistent boundary disputes and regional trade deficits |
| Masoud Pezeshkian | Iran | Regional security backing and cross-border trade | Gulf shipping disputes and differing approaches to regional wars |
Negotiators will spend the weekend attempting to harmonize these priorities. Whether New Delhi can bridge the growing rift between the West-leaning ambitions of its non-aligned members and the revisionist stance of Moscow and Tehran will determine whether the expanded BRICS can act as a coherent economic bloc or remain constrained by its internal divisions.