Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a bilateral meeting on Friday, September 11, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters during a virtual briefing from Moscow, Peskov said the two leaders were expected to hold another bilateral meeting during Putin's visit. He said the meeting was scheduled for Friday and would begin with discussions on the bilateral agenda.
The 18th BRICS Summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. India assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1 this year, taking on the group's chairmanship for the fourth time.
Su-57 aircraft sale, trade on agenda
Peskov said the potential sale of Su-57 fighter aircraft to India would be among the issues discussed, along with trade and economic matters. India has not yet officially responded to his remarks.
Reacting to the United States' proposed move to impose 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian crude oil, Peskov described the proposed action as "illegal and unacceptable".
BRICS Summit in India
The two-day summit will bring together leaders of BRICS member countries, invited participants and senior officials at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan.
The 11-member core group comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia became a full member of the grouping in 2025.
The wider BRICS framework also includes 10 partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. These countries hold partner status and are separate from the full members.
Who is attending?
PM Modi will host the summit. Putin has confirmed his attendance, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to participate. If Xi travels to India, it would be his first visit to the country since his informal meeting with Modi in Mamallapuram in 2019.
Other leaders expected to attend include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to attend the summit.
Modi, Putin last met at SCO Summit
Modi and Putin most recently met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It was their first face-to-face meeting since the annual India-Russia Summit in New Delhi last December.
During that meeting, Modi said, "Every day spent perpetuating war pushes humanity backwards, and every step taken towards peace fills the whole of humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move from endless war towards the end of war, which is very necessary for the well-being of humanity."
"A peaceful resolution of all issues as soon as possible is the call of humanity, and this is also India's message. The land of Gandhi and Buddha has one message, the path of peace," he said in Hindi.
Modi said the Ukraine conflict had featured in his discussions with Putin at every meeting and stressed that India "supports all efforts for peace and will continue to do so in future".