Overview
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi and will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
- Moscow says the Modi–Putin talks will cover defence cooperation including India’s request for Su‑57 technology transfer, plans for new Russian-built nuclear plants, bilateral trade and an update from Putin on the Ukraine conflict.
- Russia is urging expanded BRICS financial cooperation and reports that roughly 90 percent of its payments with BRICS partners are now in national currencies, which Moscow says shields transactions from sanctions-related disruption.
- The Kremlin condemned a proposed U.S. plan to levy 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian crude as illegal and unacceptable, a point that matters for India because it remains a major buyer of Russian oil.
- India’s year-long BRICS chairship has focused on practical outcomes—resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability—but deep divisions among members over conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine could limit the summit’s ability to produce a single joint declaration.