Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have held talks in New Delhi focused on strengthening trade, energy and defence ties, as India prepares to host the BRICS summit.
The meeting, on Friday September 11, was the leaders’ second encounter in less than two weeks after talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31.
Discussions were expected to cover civil nuclear power, fertilisers, critical minerals, manufacturing, railways and steel, alongside defence cooperation and efforts to expand bilateral trade.
Russia has also signalled its willingness to discuss the possible supply of advanced military equipment, including the Su-57 fighter aircraft, and greater technology transfer and joint production with India.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian energy supplies to India were reaching new highs, while the two countries were working to address payment difficulties and accumulated rupee balances linked to their trade.
Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the 18th BRICS summit, which will take place on September 12 and 13. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the leaders expected to attend.
India and Russia have maintained close economic and strategic relations despite pressure from Western governments over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian crude following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia accounted for a record 51 per cent of India’s crude oil imports in July, according to Indian media reports, as disruption to supplies from the Middle East increased the country’s reliance on Russian energy.
New Delhi has repeatedly said the Ukraine war must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. During their previous meeting in Bishkek, Mr Modi told Mr Putin that the conflict should move from “endless wars” towards an end to the fighting.
Mr Peskov said Moscow broadly shared India’s position that the conflict should be settled by peaceful means and that Russia remained open to peace efforts.
The talks follow Mr Putin’s visit to India in December 2025 for the annual India-Russia summit, when the two countries agreed to widen cooperation in trade, energy and defence.
