India Balances China and Russia Engagement Ahead of BRICS Summit

September 2, 2026 at 07:32 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

India is preparing to host the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, with Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend for his first visit in seven years. New Delhi seeks to keep BRICS relevant to the Global South while preventing it from becoming a Chinese-led or anti-Western bloc. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek on August 31, but no Putin-Modi meeting is planned in New Delhi.

Key Facts

The 18th BRICS summit is scheduled for September 12-13 in New Delhi, with India holding the BRICS chair.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit, which would be his first visit to India in seven years.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an official meeting in Bishkek on August 31, discussing trade, investment, energy, and defense.
No bilateral meeting between Putin and Modi is planned in New Delhi during the BRICS summit.
India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued an eight-point consensus on August 28 in Beijing to advance boundary issue dialogue.

BRICS Summit Preparations

India is the current BRICS chair and will host the 18th summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance is anticipated, marking his first visit to India in seven years. Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines to rebuild frayed China-India ties. The groundwork for the visit was laid by the August 28 eight-point consensus between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

Modi-Putin Engagement

Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met officially in Bishkek on August 31 during the SCO summit. They discussed bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy, and defense. Modi reportedly offered India's mediation assistance to end the war in Ukraine. No Putin-Modi meeting is planned in New Delhi, as India prioritizes a productive engagement with China.

Strategic Balancing

India aims to keep BRICS relevant to the Global South while preventing it from becoming a Chinese bandwagon or an explicitly anti-Western coalition. At the SCO summit in Bishkek, Modi and Xi had only a brief handshake, with no bilateral exchanges. New Delhi prefers high-profile meetings to be held inside India rather than at foreign venues for optics. The meetings, venues, and agendas reflect broader power flexing, hedging, and ally hunting that has marked BRICS over two decades.