BRICS 2026: PM Modi sits down with Putin, talks $100 bn trade by 2030; Plan to deepen defence, energy, nuclear ties
India and Russia held bilateral talks in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, setting a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, up from about $65 billion currently.
The two sides reviewed cooperation across manufacturing, critical minerals, defence, and energy, and discussed progress on the "Programme for Economic Cooperation 2030" framework.
Discussions covered expanding civil nuclear energy cooperation and joint energy projects, alongside efforts to boost domestic manufacturing under Make in India and narrow the bilateral trade imbalance.
The meeting continued the annual India-Russia Summit mechanism, held this year on the margins of the BRICS Summit rather than as a standalone visit.
India-Russia "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership"
India and Russia elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" — the highest tier of partnership India accords to any country — during a Russian presidential visit to India.
The $100 billion trade target was discussed within this annual summit mechanism, underlining that the India-Russia relationship operates through a distinct, long-running institutional track separate from India's other major-power partnerships.
BrahMos Missile — India-Russia Defence Joint Venture
BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed and manufactured by India and Russia, and is the most cited example of the two countries' defence-industrial collaboration.
BrahMos exemplifies the joint-development defence model that underlies the "deepening defence ties" agenda discussed at the 2026 meeting, distinct from a simple buyer-seller arms relationship.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and Civil Nuclear Cooperation
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (Tamil Nadu) is India's largest civil nuclear cooperation project with Russia, built using Russian VVER-1000 reactor technology.
Key Details
- Built by India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) with Russia's Rosatom (via Atomstroyexport) as technology and equipment supplier, under an inter-governmental framework.
- Units 1 and 2 (1,000 MW each) have been commercially operational since 2014 and 2017 respectively; the plant's planned total capacity across six units is 6,000 MW, with Units 3-6 at various construction stages.
- Nuclear liability for such projects is governed in India by the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, alongside the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
- Rosatom has also offered India additional reactors in support of India's stated goal of 100 GW of nuclear capacity.
The "civil nuclear ties" reviewed at the 2026 talks build directly on this ongoing Kudankulam programme, the largest existing example of India-Russia nuclear-energy cooperation and a likely reference point for any new joint energy projects discussed.
S-400 Triumf Air Defence System — Defence Procurement Example
The S-400 Triumf deal is one of the most significant recent India-Russia defence contracts and a frequently tested example of India's defence procurement choices.
The review of "defence ties" at the 2026 summit reflects continuity of this landmark procurement, itself a standard example of India exercising strategic autonomy in defence sourcing despite third-country sanctions pressure.
- Bilateral trade target: $100 billion by 2030, up from about $65 billion currently.
- India-Russia ties elevated to "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership": 21 December 2010.
- BrahMos joint venture established: 12 February 1998; ownership 50.5% India / 49.5% Russia.
- Kudankulam: Units 1 and 2 (1,000 MW each) operational since 2014 and 2017; planned total capacity 6,000 MW across six units.
- S-400 deal: $5.43 billion, signed 2018, for five squadrons; fourth system delivered, fifth expected by end of 2026.