New Delhi, 11 September– Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks here today, with an ambitious $100-billion bilateral trade target by 2030, expanded industrial cooperation, defence cooperation and civil nuclear partnership among the key issues figuring in their discussions.
The talks at Bharat Mandapam come a day before the 18th BRICS Summit and amid India’s deepening strategic partnership with Russia, the continuing Russia-Ukraine war and growing Western pressure over New Delhi’s ties with Moscow.
Both leaders shared a warm hug before they sat down for their second meeting this year, having earlier met on the margins of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek less than two weeks ago, on August 31.
During the meeting, PM Modi and Putin spoke about the war in the Middle East and the conflicts in Black Sea region that have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian sailors.
As a gesture reflecting India’s cultural heritage, Modi presented Putin with a Russian translation of the ‘Thirukkural’, the classic Tamil text by poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar. Written in 1,330 couplets, the work deals with ethics, morality and various aspects of human life.
The Russian President invited the Prime Minister to Russia for the 24th India-Russia Annual Summit. Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation, with the dates for the summit to be finalised through diplomatic channels based on mutual convenience.
“PM @narendramodi held wide-ranging discussions with President Putin on various aspects of the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. The leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in sectors including trade, energy, defense, space and people to people ties which remain key focus areas of the enduring India-Russia partnership,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
They also shared perspectives on key regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers.
Industrial cooperation will also receive a major push, with discussions held on the proposed INNOPROM industrial exhibition in India, cooperation in the rail sector and tunnelling, and development of a steel value chain.
Strengthening civil nuclear cooperation, including fuel-cycle and life-cycle support, was another key priority. The two sides also explored greater cooperation in critical minerals, fertilisers and mobility, including expanding opportunities for skilled Indian workers in Russia.
The proposed $100-billion trade target by 2030 assumes significance as India seeks to broaden economic ties with Russia beyond energy and defence.
The Modi-Putin meeting is the first of a series of high-level bilateral engagements around the BRICS Summit. Modi is also scheduled to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, while his much-anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled for Saturday.
The BRICS Summit begins on Saturday and brings together 11 members — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the UAE, Indonesia and India.
India has sought to use the expanded grouping as a platform for cooperation among developing countries and to strengthen the voice of the Global South, rather than position BRICS as an anti-Western bloc.
For India, however, the summit is a bigger challenge than the ceremonial culmination of its year-long BRICS presidency as its much touted concept of ‘Strategic Autonomy’ faces a litmus test here. It is an opportunity to demonstrate whether New Delhi’s long-standing foreign-policy propositions — strategic autonomy, a stronger voice for the Global South and practical multilateralism — can be translated into concrete economic, technological and diplomatic outcomes.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
