New Delhi is set to become the centre of global diplomacy as Chinese President Xi Jinping returns to India for the first time in seven years, while Russian President Vladimir Putin joins other world leaders for the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12–13, 2026.
The high-profile gathering comes at a particularly important moment for India, China and Russia. Relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been gradually improving after years of tensions, while India’s longstanding strategic relationship with Moscow remains an important part of its foreign policy.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to hold bilateral discussions with both Xi and Putin, the summit could become an important test of India’s ability to balance relationships with major global powers while strengthening its role within the expanding BRICS grouping.
Xi Jinping’s First India Visit in Seven Years
Xi Jinping’s return to India is perhaps the most closely watched development surrounding the summit.
His previous visit to India was in 2019. Relations subsequently deteriorated sharply following the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley border clash, creating a prolonged period of political and military tension between the two Asian powers.
However, the relationship has shown signs of a gradual thaw in recent years.
India and China have increased diplomatic engagement, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China last year provided another opportunity for the two countries to work toward stabilising ties.
Now, Xi’s presence in New Delhi offers another potentially significant moment.
Will Modi and Xi Meet?
China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Beijing and New Delhi are arranging a bilateral meeting between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit.
China has said it wants to strengthen ties with India from a strategic and long-term perspective while improving communication and managing differences between the two countries.
That meeting could be closely watched for signs of progress on several fronts, including border stability, trade, investment and broader regional cooperation.
Putin’s Presence Adds Another Major Dimension
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation makes the summit even more significant for India.
Putin is already in New Delhi and held talks with Modi on September 11, with discussions covering trade, energy and defence cooperation. The two leaders also discussed areas including civil nuclear energy, fertilisers, critical minerals, manufacturing, railways and steel.
India and Russia have maintained strong strategic ties despite Moscow’s confrontation with Western countries over the Ukraine war.
Energy remains a particularly important component of the relationship. India has continued importing large volumes of Russian crude, while Moscow remains an important defence partner for New Delhi.
Putin’s participation therefore gives India an opportunity to reinforce a relationship that has remained strategically important while also pursuing stronger ties with other global powers.
Why This BRICS Summit Matters
The 2026 BRICS Summit is taking place as the global geopolitical landscape becomes increasingly fragmented.
India is hosting the summit on September 12–13 in New Delhi as the current BRICS chair. The expanded grouping now includes major economies and emerging powers across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
That expansion has increased BRICS’ economic and geopolitical importance—but it has also made consensus more difficult.
The members do not always share the same strategic interests.
India and China compete in several areas.
Russia has deepened its relationship with China while maintaining a longstanding partnership with India.
Iran and the Gulf states have sharply different interests.
And many BRICS members continue to maintain significant economic relationships with the United States and other Western economies.
The summit will therefore test whether the expanded group can find common ground on major international issues.
The Iran Conflict Could Dominate the Agenda
The BRICS summit comes against the backdrop of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, adding another layer of complexity to the meeting.
Iran became a BRICS member in 2024, and the conflict has created divisions within the expanded grouping. The UAE, another BRICS member, has also been affected by the conflict.
The crisis has wider economic consequences.
Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have affected global energy markets, while crude oil prices have risen sharply amid concerns over supplies and shipping.
For India, the issue is especially important because energy security is closely connected to economic growth.
New Delhi will therefore have to balance its relationships with Russia, Iran, Gulf countries and Western nations while attempting to maintain a constructive BRICS agenda.
India Wants a Bigger Role in Global Economic Cooperation
Economic cooperation is expected to be another major theme.
India has been pushing for stronger cross-border payment mechanisms among BRICS countries. One proposal involves linking central bank digital currencies to make international payments between member countries faster and more efficient.
However, significant challenges remain.
Different monetary systems, geopolitical tensions and concerns about financial integration—particularly between India and China—could make such initiatives difficult to implement.
For India, the objective is not simply to create an alternative financial system.
It is also about making international trade more efficient and giving emerging economies greater influence over the global financial architecture.
India-China Trade: Cooperation Despite Competition
One of the biggest questions surrounding Xi’s visit is whether political improvement can translate into stronger economic ties.
India and China remain major trading partners, but their economic relationship is complicated by security concerns and regulatory restrictions.
Recent efforts to improve relations have created some opportunities for Chinese investment and business cooperation, but significant barriers remain.
Issues involving investment approvals, visas, technology transfers and national security continue to create uncertainty for companies on both sides.
This creates a delicate situation.
India wants access to global manufacturing and technology supply chains while also reducing strategic vulnerabilities.
China, meanwhile, wants greater access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
The Modi-Xi meeting could therefore be important not only diplomatically but also economically.
Can India Balance China and Russia?
Perhaps the biggest strategic story behind the summit is India’s ability to maintain relationships with countries that do not always get along with one another.
India has close defence and energy ties with Russia.
At the same time, China is one of India’s largest neighbours and trading partners.
New Delhi also maintains significant relationships with the United States, Europe, Japan and other Indo-Pacific partners.
Rather than choosing one side, India has increasingly pursued what is often described as strategic autonomy—maintaining the freedom to cooperate with different powers according to its national interests.
The presence of Xi and Putin in New Delhi provides a vivid demonstration of that approach.
India can engage with Russia without becoming part of a Russia-China alliance.
It can improve relations with China without abandoning partnerships with the West.
And it can strengthen BRICS without necessarily turning the grouping into an anti-Western bloc.
What Could the Xi-Putin-Modi Moment Mean?
The image of Modi, Xi and Putin together in New Delhi will undoubtedly attract global attention.
But the real significance will lie beyond the photographs.
The three countries have overlapping interests in areas such as trade, energy, regional stability and a more multipolar international system.
At the same time, their interests are far from identical.
India and China have unresolved strategic differences.
Russia and China have become increasingly close.
India and Russia have maintained decades of cooperation.
India also has important strategic partnerships with the United States and other Western countries.
That makes India’s diplomatic position both complicated and powerful.
The BRICS summit provides New Delhi with an opportunity to demonstrate that it can engage with competing global powers while pursuing its own interests.
What to Watch at the BRICS Summit
Several developments could determine how significant the 2026 summit becomes:
🇮🇳 1. Modi-Xi Bilateral Meeting
Any progress on India-China relations, border stability or economic cooperation will attract considerable attention.
🇷🇺 2. India-Russia Strategic Cooperation
Trade, energy, defence and civil nuclear cooperation are likely to remain important areas of discussion.
🌍 3. BRICS Position on the Iran Conflict
Whether members can agree on a common position will be an important test of the expanded group’s unity.
💰 4. Cross-Border Payments
India’s proposal for greater digital-payment connectivity among BRICS economies could become an important economic initiative.
🛢️ 5. Energy Security
With tensions affecting oil markets and the Strait of Hormuz, energy security will remain a major concern for India and other BRICS members.
🌐 6. The Future of BRICS
The bigger question is whether the expanded BRICS can transform its growing economic weight into greater political and institutional influence.
A Crucial Moment for India’s Foreign Policy
Xi Jinping’s return to India after seven years and Vladimir Putin’s presence in New Delhi place India at the centre of an important geopolitical gathering.
But this is more than a meeting of three powerful leaders.
It is a test of India’s diplomatic balancing act.
New Delhi must manage its complicated relationship with China, preserve its longstanding partnership with Russia, navigate the Middle East crisis and maintain important economic and strategic relationships with Western countries.
At the same time, India is trying to position itself as a leading voice of the Global South and a major player in a changing international order.
The real success of the BRICS Summit will therefore not be measured simply by the number of leaders attending. It will be measured by whether India can turn diplomacy into concrete progress on trade, energy, security and global cooperation.
💬 What Do You Think?
Do you think Xi Jinping’s return to India could mark a new phase in India-China relations?
Or will longstanding strategic differences continue to limit cooperation?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
This article is based on reporting and information available ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026. Diplomatic discussions and summit outcomes may change as events develop.
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