Putin's India Visit: BRICS Leaders' Summit September 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin is confirmed to visit India on September 12–13, 2026 for the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, as confirmed by a Kremlin aide.
India holds the BRICS Chairmanship for 2026 under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
This will mark Putin's second visit to India within a year; he previously visited New Delhi on December 4–5, 2025 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit — his first visit since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited India earlier in May 2026 for the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting and held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister.
Bilateral talks between the two leaders are expected alongside the summit, with discussions likely to cover defence, energy, and global geopolitical developments.
BRICS: Origins, Expansion, and Structure
BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies. The acronym BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001 to describe economies projected to dominate global growth. The first BRIC Leaders' Summit was held in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. South Africa joined in 2011, making it BRICS.
India's 2026 BRICS Chairmanship and the upcoming Leaders' Summit represent a major multilateral diplomatic event. Putin's confirmed attendance signals continued Russia-India strategic engagement despite Western pressure on both countries to isolate Russia.
India-Russia Strategic Partnership
India and Russia have maintained a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" formalised in 2010, built on five decades of defence, energy, and diplomatic cooperation. The relationship is institutionalised through Annual Summits between the two leaders, the last of which was held in December 2025 in New Delhi.
Putin's visit reinforces India's multi-alignment foreign policy — maintaining strong ties with Russia while simultaneously deepening partnerships with Western countries and the Quad.
India's BRICS Chairmanship 2026
As BRICS chair in 2026, India sets the agenda, hosts all ministerial meetings, and organises the Leaders' Summit. The 2026 theme focuses on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability — reflecting India's priorities of inclusive multilateralism and reform of global governance institutions.
Hosting the BRICS Leaders' Summit with attendance confirmed by leaders including Putin elevates India's profile as a convening power in the Global South.
- BRICS founded: 2009 (as BRIC); South Africa joined 2011
- Current full members (10): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia
- New Development Bank (NDB) established: 2015; headquartered in Shanghai
- India's BRICS 2026 theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
- Putin's last India visit before 2025: 2021 (virtual due to COVID-19)
- BRICS Leaders' Summit 2026: September 12–13, New Delhi
- India-Russia Annual Summit frequency: Annual; 23rd edition held December 2025
- BRICS share of global GDP (PPP): approximately 41%; share of global population: over 50%