Putin and Iranian President Arrive in India for BRICS Summit Dominated by War and Oil

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in India for talks ahead of the two-day annual BRICS summit, which opens on Saturday. The gathering of major emerging economies will focus on economic challenges, conflict in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, global trade turbulence and oil.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive on Saturday for his first visit to India since 2019, marking the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the rival neighbours. The visit comes six years after a deadly military clash between China and India along their disputed Himalayan border. While ties between the two nuclear-armed nations have warmed recently — with flights, visas and high-level contacts gradually being restored — deep mistrust remains over their contested frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media on Friday welcoming arriving leaders, writing: "One should engage in debate and friendship only with the virtuous, and nothing whatsoever with the unvirtuous." Modi is due to hold talks with Putin later on Friday; Putin last visited India in December 2025. Moscow is one of New Delhi's most important strategic partners. India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the Iran war in part by turning to Russia, one of its most controversial fuel suppliers in recent years as the war in Ukraine drags on.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected on Friday and is set to hold talks with Modi. The BRICS summit was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions typically dominated by Western powers. It has since expanded to include Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — three countries with sharply differing positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.

"The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit," said Harsh V Pant, a professor of international relations and vice president of India's Observer Research Foundation. "What was seen until last year as an achievement, the expansion of BRICS, today looks like a big constraint on BRICS." Economist Shilan Shah said the war in Iran would provide a stern test of the expanded bloc.

Why This Matters

The BRICS summit brings together rival powers (India/China, Iran/Saudi Arabia) at a time of active war in the Middle East and Ukraine, testing whether the bloc can function as a unified alternative to Western-led institutions.
Xi Jinping's first India visit since 2019 signals a potential thaw between Asia's two nuclear-armed giants, with implications for regional stability and global trade.
Energy prices and supply routes are at stake: India's reliance on Russian oil amid Western sanctions and the Iran war's impact on global markets will shape outcomes.

Background

BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies — initially Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — seeking greater influence in international institutions dominated by Western powers. The bloc expanded last year to include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and others, reaching 11 members. This expansion brought in countries with sharply conflicting positions on the Middle East conflict, particularly Iran (aligned against the US-led war) and Saudi Arabia and the UAE (which have different stances). China and India, meanwhile, have long-standing border disputes and strategic rivalry, though ties have warmed in recent months after a deadly clash in 2020.

Key Perspectives

India (Modi government): Seeks to balance strategic partnerships with Russia (a key energy supplier) and the West, while managing tensions with China and positioning itself as a diplomatic bridge within BRICS. The summit is a chance to demonstrate leadership. China (Xi Jinping): Xi's first India visit since 2019 is a significant gesture of thawing relations. China likely wants to reduce border tensions and expand economic cooperation, but remains wary of India's closeness to the US and its own strategic ambitions. Critics/Skeptics: Analysts like Harsh V Pant argue that BRICS expansion has become a "constraint" rather than an achievement, as member states' divergent positions on the Gulf conflict — with Iran as a direct party opposed by other members — could paralyse the bloc. The war in Iran is expected to dominate discussions, potentially preventing consensus on other issues.

What to Watch

Whether Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines, and whether they announce any concrete steps to de-escalate border tensions.
The outcome of discussions on energy pricing and whether BRICS members can agree on a unified stance regarding the Iran war and oil supply.
Statements from the summit's final communiqué regarding the Middle East conflict — particularly whether they call for a ceasefire or take sides.

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