Putin arrives in New Delhi for BRICS summit shadowed by Iran and Ukraine wars

September 11, 2026 at 07:40 AM2 min

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the two-day BRICS summit. He is due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet Modi on the sidelines. The summit is dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges.

Key Facts

Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi and was greeted by India's Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
The BRICS summit is a two-day meeting of 11 member states, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Pezeshkian's visit is the first by an Iranian president to India in eight years.
Putin last visited India in December 2025 and met Modi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, earlier this month.

Summit Agenda

The BRICS summit is expected to be dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges. Putin and Pezeshkian are due to hold talks with Modi, while Xi is also expected to meet Modi on the sidelines. The Gulf conflict is seen as the central fault line at this summit, according to Harsh V Pant of India's Observer Research Foundation. The expansion of BRICS, once seen as an achievement, now appears as a constraint on the group, Pant told AFP.

Iran Conflict

Pezeshkian's first visit to India as Iranian president puts the Middle East conflict firmly on the agenda. The war in Iran will test the expanded group's cohesion, said Shilan Shah of Capital Economics, noting the failure of BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement in New Delhi in May. India maintains cordial relations with both Iran and Israel while balancing ties with Washington. India has turned to Russia, one of its most important strategic partners, to navigate the energy crisis caused by the war on Iran.

Security Measures

Posters of Modi lined streets across New Delhi to welcome leaders, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital. Widespread traffic restrictions were imposed in central districts, and Delhi police urged people to be patient and cooperative.