Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in New Delhi early Friday, September 11, 2026, beginning a three-day working visit tied to the 18th BRICS Summit. He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, with India’s foreign ministry calling it a significant moment in the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between the two countries. Putin stepped onto a red carpet and was welcomed by an honor guard before leaving the airport in his Aurus presidential limousine.
The visit is packed with engagements. Putin is set to address the plenary session of the annual BRICS Business Forum on September 11, which traditionally precedes the leaders’ summit. Before that, he and Modi are expected to hold bilateral talks covering trade, energy, defense and industrial cooperation. The two leaders are also scheduled to jointly visit the INNOPROM exhibition on Friday, an event organized by the industry and trade ministries of both countries. It marks the first Indian edition of Russia’s flagship international industrial exhibition, running September 9–11 at Bharat Mandapam, and is aimed at boosting manufacturing, technology, investment and business ties between the two nations.
The main event, the 18th BRICS Summit itself, takes place over the weekend on September 12–13, with India chairing the group this year under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
This is Putin’s first trip to India since December 2025, when he attended the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, though he and Modi crossed paths more recently at the SCO summit in Bishkek less than two weeks ago, where they reviewed bilateral cooperation.
