Modi-Putin Talks: Why Russia Wants a Stronger BRICS and Where India Fits in the New Global Power Game

Source: NewsX | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 01:31:56 UTC

Key Points

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin met in New Delhi shortly before the BRICS summit, linking bilateral ties to broader bloc cooperation.
• Putin argued that Western sanctions and tariffs are driving Russia to seek parallel trade and payment systems through BRICS.
• Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev described BRICS as shifting from a political grouping toward practical business and technology cooperation.
• India balances its BRICS membership and long-standing ties with Russia against relationships with the United States, Europe, and Gulf countries.
• India-Russia cooperation includes energy trade, a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, connectivity, and technology partnerships.
• BRICS carries significant population and economic weight, but internal divergences among members such as Iran and the United Arab Emirates complicate coordination.
• India is portrayed as likely maintaining strategic autonomy rather than choosing between BRICS and Western partners.