Putin lands in India for BRICS summit as Middle East wars loom

Vladimir Putin touched down at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi on Saturday, joining Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet Modi on the sidelines of the two‑day summit, diplomatic sources say.

Summit arrivals

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh greeted the Russian leader, while security forces deployed across the capital to manage crowds and traffic. Posters of a smiling Modi line the streets, underscoring the high‑profile nature of the event.

Geopolitical stakes

The expanded BRICS now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, three nations with starkly different positions on the United States‑Israel conflict that began in February. Analysts say the Gulf war will dominate discussions.

"The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit," said Harsh V. Pant of the Observer Research Foundation.

Shilan Shah of Capital Economics added that the war in Iran will test the cohesion of the enlarged group, noting that foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement in May.

Looking ahead

India is walking a tightrope, maintaining cordial ties with both Iran and Israel while balancing its relationship with Washington. The country has turned to Russia for energy supplies amid the broader Middle East turmoil, further intertwining its interests with the summit’s agenda.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently visited Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked India for its stance against the war in Ukraine. The juxtaposition of these diplomatic moves highlights the complex web of alliances that will shape the summit’s outcomes.

Observers expect the next few weeks to reveal whether BRICS can forge a common position on the conflicts or whether internal divisions will limit its influence on the global stage.