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Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in the Indian capital on Friday to take part in an 11-member BRICS summit, an international gathering that opens under the heavy shadow of ongoing conflicts across the Middle East and Ukraine, alongside pressing global economic difficulties.
Upon landing at New Delhi's Palam Air Force Station, the Russian leader was formally welcomed on the tarmac by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh. The arrival was captured and broadcast in video footage released by the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.
The Indian capital has undergone extensive preparations for the two-day diplomatic gathering. Streets throughout New Delhi have been decorated with posters showcasing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while security personnel have been deployed in large numbers to secure venues and routes. Widespread vehicular restrictions have been enforced across central districts, prompting local law enforcement to appeal to residents for patience and cooperation during the high-profile event.
High-stakes bilateral discussions are scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the broader multilateral summit. Prime Minister Modi is slated to conduct separate diplomatic talks with President Putin as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is also anticipated to hold discussions with the Indian prime minister.
The BRICS coalition was initially established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining later, serving as a platform designed to amplify the voice and influence of major emerging markets within an international architecture historically dominated by Western nations.
Over time, the bloc has pursued an ambitious enlargement strategy, recently expanding its roster to 11 nations. Among the newly incorporated members are Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—three Middle Eastern powers that hold sharply divergent viewpoints regarding the US-Israel military campaign against Iran that commenced in February.
These stark differences have raised fundamental questions regarding the expanded bloc's political unity. Harsh V. Pant, an analyst with India’s Observer Research Foundation, noted that the Gulf crisis will represent the primary division at the summit, explaining that the recent membership enlargement, once hailed as a major milestone, now poses a significant operational constraint on the group.
The presence of Masoud Pezeshkian adds substantial weight to the regional crisis on the summit's agenda. His journey to New Delhi represents his first official visit to India in his capacity as Iranian president, while also marking the first time an Iranian head of state has traveled to the country in eight years.
Analysts warn that the Middle Eastern hostilities will test whether the bloc can find common ground on contentious geopolitical matters. Shilan Shah of Capital Economics emphasized that the war in Iran will serve as a demanding test for the coalition’s internal unity, recalling that BRICS foreign ministers were previously unable to produce a consensus joint communique during their ministerial gathering in New Delhi in May.
For host nation India, the summit requires maintaining a careful diplomatic equilibrium. New Delhi continues to cultivate amicable ties with both Tehran and Tel Aviv, all while safeguarding its critical strategic relationship with the United States.
At the same time, the broader energy disruptions stemming from the hostilities in Iran have influenced India’s economic decisions. In response to regional supply shocks, India has increasingly turned to Russia as a key energy provider, relying on Moscow as an essential strategic partner and energy source even as Russia’s protracted military offensive in Ukraine remains a subject of international scrutiny.
The New Delhi summit serves as another chapter in frequent bilateral engagements between Russian and Indian leadership. President Putin previously visited India in December 2025, and he recently held talks with Prime Minister Modi earlier this month during a visit to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Concurrently, New Delhi has maintained diplomatic channels with Kyiv. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar traveled to the Ukrainian capital this month for high-level meetings, after which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly voiced appreciation for India’s ongoing dedication to bringing an end to the unjust conflict.
The summit is also notable for the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking his first trip to India since 2019. The visit represents the most substantial step toward rapprochement between Beijing and New Delhi since a deadly border confrontation along their contested Himalayan frontier six years ago severely damaged bilateral ties.
Relations between the two Asian nuclear powers have shown gradual signs of improvement in recent months. The neighboring rivals have moved to slowly restore commercial flight connectivity, streamline visa issuance procedures, and re-establish high-level official dialogues.
Despite these incremental diplomatic advances, substantial bilateral friction persists between Beijing and New Delhi. The relationship continues to be strained by an unresolved border dispute, an expanding bilateral trade deficit, and enduring strategic competition across the wider region as the two-day BRICS summit gets underway.
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