Putin Arrives in India for BRICS Summit, Meets Modi for Bilateral Talks

Putin arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit to attend 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 Narendra Modi focused on expanding Russia-India trade to $100 billion by 2030, with cooperation in rail transit, steel, critical minerals, fertilizers and nuclear energy. The Kremlin said the possible sale of Russian Su-57 stealth fighter jets to India was also on the agenda. More than 300 Russian executives accompanied Putin to negotiate supply-chain and food-security contracts. Putin said BRICS should build a platform for global growth free of Western rules.