Putin arrives in New Delhi as BRICS summit opens amid Ukraine and Middle East wars

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of a two-day BRICS summit expected to be dominated by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as wider economic challenges. The gathering brings together 11 members of the bloc in the Indian capital, with India hosting a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the summit.

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Putin landed 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 Russian state media. Indian diplomatic sources said Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are due to hold talks with Modi, while Xi is expected to meet the Indian leader separately. The summit comes as India seeks to manage relations with several major powers at once, including Russia, China and Iran.

Security has been tightened across the capital, with heavy deployments of police and traffic restrictions in central districts. Posters welcoming Modi have been placed along streets in New Delhi, while police have urged residents to remain patient and cooperative. The scale of the security operation reflects the number of leaders attending and the sensitivity of the issues likely to be discussed.

The meeting matters because BRICS has become a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in global institutions long dominated by Western powers. Its expansion has brought in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding countries with sharply different positions on the Middle East conflict. That makes the summit a potentially important venue for diplomatic signalling at a time when wars in Europe and the Middle East are shaping international alignments.

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Xi's expected visit is especially notable because it would be his first trip to India since 2019. Relations between India and China have been strained since a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border six years ago, but ties have been warming gradually through the restoration of flights, visas and high-level contacts. Even so, deep mistrust remains, with the border dispute, trade imbalance and strategic rivalry still weighing on the relationship.

BRICS was created in 2009 and has since grown into a broader grouping of large emerging economies. The bloc's current expansion has increased its diplomatic reach, but also its internal differences, particularly over conflicts involving member states and partners. What remains unclear is how far the leaders will narrow their differences on Ukraine, the Middle East and trade issues, and whether the bilateral meetings will produce any concrete announcements.

The main focus now is on the talks in New Delhi and the signals they send about the direction of relations among the participating powers.

#BRICS #VladimirPutin #XiJinping #MasoudPezeshkian #NarendraModi

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