BRICS Summit 2026: Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit India for the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, with his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to cover trade, economic ties and critical minerals.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Modi are also expected to hold another bilateral meeting during the visit. Speaking to reporters from Moscow, he said the meeting is scheduled for Friday.
“We’re looking forward to the President and Prime Minister having another bilateral meeting during the visit. It is scheduled. It is scheduled for Friday, so first, like always, they will touch on the bilateral agenda. Trade and economic cooperation is a very wide scope.”
Pentagon Orders 100+ Kymeta Osprey u8 Terminals for Multi-Orbit Connectivity
Peskov said the India visit gives Russia and India another chance to discuss their bilateral relationship. He also wished India success in hosting the BRICS gathering.
Putin-Modi Meeting To Focus On Trade And Critical Minerals
One of the important areas expected to come up in the talks is cooperation in rare earths and the exploration of critical minerals. These resources are important for industries such as electronics, batteries, clean energy and advanced technology.
Peskov also spoke about the close relationship between the two leaders and said they can discuss difficult issues openly.
“In a couple of days, President Putin will begin his India visit. You know that our two leaders, Indian and Russian leaders, are in a very close personal contact. They are very pragmatic in their relationship, and they are as sincere as to be able to discuss in a very open and constructive way the most sensitive issues of our agenda and our bilateral relations. Of course, it opens additional horizons for our cooperation.”
The meeting comes as India and Russia continue to look for new areas of economic cooperation. Both countries have also been working to expand trade and strengthen payment arrangements using national currencies.
Russia Backs more BRICS Cooperation
Peskov said Moscow expects the BRICS summit in New Delhi to be successful. He said Russia is working to support cooperation across the three main areas of BRICS work, covering politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
“We have no doubt that the summit will be successful. Russia, we are doing our best to contribute to further development of BRICS cooperation in the three main pillars of our interaction. So, those are policy and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contexts. So, we are supporting the idea of inviting new countries to join different formats within BRICS,” he noted.
Ukraine Upgrades DELTA With Satellite Images, Drone Maps and 3D Terrain Data
The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026. India is chairing BRICS this year under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The country has been pushing practical cooperation in areas such as technology, health, agriculture, energy, startups, urban development and climate action.
National Currency Payments Gain more Attention
Financial cooperation is also expected to remain an important BRICS issue. Peskov said Russia now conducts a very large share of its transactions with BRICS countries in national currencies.
“The cooperation space within BRICS financial sphere is of great importance. Russia recently reached a level of 90 percent of all the payments, all the transactions with BRICS countries being made in national currencies, it’s very important. It’s not because we are aiming for de-dollarisation, for getting rid of US dollars. To the contrary, we are open to every acceptable method of payment, but you know that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political oppression. They are introducing sanctions based on their national currencies. So, if they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money,” Peskov said.
