Putin Makes First BRICS Summit Trip Outside Russia Since 2022 Invasion, Meets Modi in New Delhi

Putin arrived in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS summit — his first in-person appearance at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi on expanding Russia-India trade to $100 billion by 2030, cooperation in nuclear energy, rail, steel and critical minerals, and the possible sale of Su-57 stealth fighters to India. On September 13, BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration, which avoided naming Ukraine and criticized Western sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council, while stopping short of condemning US-Israeli strikes on Iran.