Modi and Putin Discuss Stronger Partnership as Russia Calls for BRICS Unity
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Friday to deepen ties between their two countries, meeting in New Delhi on the eve of a BRICS summit set to bring together leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian.
The talks come as India walks a careful diplomatic line, working to maintain strong relationships with Washington, Gulf states, Russia, Iran and Israel, even as trade and shipping routes remain disrupted by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. BRICS itself is trying to raise its global standing at a moment when its members are divided over the Gulf conflict, with Iran and the UAE on opposing sides.
Speaking at a BRICS business forum, Putin argued that Western competitors are trying to reclaim their former dominance through increasingly aggressive tactics, pointing to attacks on industrial and logistics infrastructure, blocked transport corridors and threats of secondary sanctions against countries acting in their own interest. He said the bloc should instead build a new, sustainable platform for global growth. His remarks echoed comments from BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors, who have voiced concern over unilateral tariffs and trade measures they view as inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules.
Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev told Reuters that the bloc is shifting from a primarily political grouping toward a more practical economic partnership, focused on connecting businesses, technology firms and investors while improving payment systems and shared infrastructure.
The gathering also touches on sensitive territory for Washington. Last year’s BRICS summit drew criticism from President Donald Trump, who threatened additional tariffs on countries he described as aligning with the bloc’s policies, and the US has separately threatened steep tariffs on nations still purchasing Russian oil, including India and China.
According to India’s foreign ministry, Modi and Putin discussed the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region and their impact on maritime trade and the safety of Indian sailors, agreeing to keep strengthening what both sides describe as a special strategic partnership. India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian oil alongside China, purchases that have helped Moscow offset the impact of Western sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. New Delhi has resisted pressure to scale back the trade, citing its need for secure and affordable energy, and the two countries have set a goal of raising bilateral trade to 100 billion dollars by 2030, up from nearly 70 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
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