New Delhi: New Delhi has transitioned into an intense centre of international diplomacy as heads of state gather for the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled for September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam. Ahead of the official plenary sessions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced a dense schedule of high-stakes diplomatic meetings on Friday, holding comprehensive bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister is also slated to hold bilateral talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and meet United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday evening, setting the stage for what promises to be a consequential weekend of multilateral and bilateral engagements.
The bilateral exchange between Modi and Putin carries significant weight amid the continuing conflict in Ukraine and persistent scrutiny from Western powers regarding India’s trade and defence ties with Moscow. The gathering offers New Delhi an opportunity to engage directly with the Russian leadership on vital supply chains, energy security, and defence ties, while consistently advocating for dialogue, diplomacy, and a peaceful resolution to hostilities. Simultaneously, Modi’s scheduled dialogue with Iranian President Pezeshkian addresses shared regional interests against the backdrop of persistent instability and shipping disruptions in West Asia, highlighting the expanded grouping’s broad strategic reach since Iran joined the bloc.
Diplomatic observers are directing the greatest anticipation toward Saturday’s scheduled bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Bharat Mandapam. Marking Xi’s first visit to India in seven years since the 2019 Mamallapuram informal summit, the high-level dialogue follows cautious signs of a thaw and gradual disengagement steps along the Line of Actual Control after the military tensions that began in 2020. Both leaders are expected to review border stability protocols and explore pragmatic measures to normalise economic and political engagement between the two Asian giants.
The current summit marks the formal convening of the expanded 11-member BRICS alliance—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. While the addition of new members has amplified the bloc’s global economic presence, it has also brought divergent geopolitical alignments to the same table. India has consistently sought to channel this diversity toward constructive Global South cooperation, positioning the grouping as an inclusive developmental platform rather than an anti-Western coalition. Alongside the main agenda, Modi will maintain an exhaustive diplomatic schedule, holding bilateral meetings with leaders from Malaysia, Ethiopia, Abu Dhabi, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Egypt, South Africa, and Burundi over the weekend.
