WorldModi and Putin are set to meet ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi
The planned meeting puts energy, defence, trade and strategic coordination back at the centre of India-Russia ties.
THE INDIQA Research DeskPublished 9 Sept 2026Updated 12 Sept 20262 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to meet ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, according to the Kremlin. The bilateral meeting comes as India balances longstanding ties with Russia against a wider network of partnerships with the US, Europe and Indo-Pacific countries.
The relationship remains important across defence, energy, nuclear cooperation, space and multilateral diplomacy. For UPSC, the immediate meeting is less important than the strategic pattern: India continues to pursue multi-alignment, maintaining issue-based partnerships rather than treating major-power relationships as mutually exclusive.
CIVIL SERVICES VIEWStudy this development
GS-IIIndia-Russia relations and BRICSPrelims: MediumMains: High
Why this matters
The planned meeting puts energy, defence, trade and strategic coordination back at the centre of India-Russia ties.
Key facts
- BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies whose membership has expanded beyond the original five.
Key terms
- BRICS
- India-Russia
- multi-alignment
- strategic autonomy
Arguments, challenges and policy responses
- Strategic autonomy in a fragmented global order
- Energy and defence in India-Russia relations
India’s context
The meeting is relevant to India’s energy, defence and great-power balancing strategy.
Practice question
How does India’s engagement with Russia illustrate the logic of strategic autonomy?
Revision summary
- BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies whose membership has expanded beyond the original five.
- Strategic autonomy in a fragmented global order
- Energy and defence in India-Russia relations
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