Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin arrive in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit

Karl Sexton | Felix Tamsut | Midhat Fatimah with AP, AFP, Reuters and local media

Xi's visit to India holds significance as it is his first since the deadly 2020 military clash between India and China over Galwan Valley. Follow DW for more.

What you need to know

Modi will meet China's Xi on the sidelines of BRICS today

Putin and Modi discuss a wide range of issues, including the Ukraine-Russia conflict, energy cooperation and trade across several sectors

Modi again urges Putin to end the war in Ukraine

Modi calls for maritime trade to be protected during bilateral talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi

Pezeshkian warns Iran coming under 'critical, dangerous' US economic pressure

Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines from the BRICS Summit 2026 in India:

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Delhi

China's President Xi Jinping landed in Delhi this morning to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"At noon on September 12, local time, President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi by special plane. He will attend the 18th BRICS summit at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

This is Xi's first visit to India since 2019, marking the biggest step toward normalizing ties between the two Asian powers, which took a major hit when India and China locked horns in the deadliest clash in over four decades over the disputed border in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

The two countries have also sparred over Arunachal Pradesh's geographical names.

Xi's visit now signals the importance accorded by China to BRICS as well as maintaining ties with India.

Ahead of Xi's visit, in a post on X, China's ambassador to India Xu Feihong said that China will work with India to "properly handle differences" and "be friends enjoying good-neighborliness and partners helping each other succeed."

Modi and Xi are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of BRICS at 5.45 p.m. local time (1215 GMT). In their meeting, the two leaders are expected to focus on bilateral trade and border issues.

Welcome back!

We are resuming our coverage of the BRICS Summit 2026, taking place in New Delhi at the Bharat Mandapam.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and UN Chief Antonio Guterres on the eve of the BRICS Summit.

Modi and Putin reaffirmed their ties. Both the leaders discussed key regional and global issues including the conflicts in the Middle East and the Ukraine war which was referred to as "conflicts in the Black Sea region."

In his meeting with Pezeshkian, Modi thanked the Iranian leader for his participation in the summit "despite the challenging circumstances" for Iran, which is at war with the US and Israel.

Modi also reiterated that "all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy."

IN DEPTH: India's BRICS strategy tested with Xi, Putin set to visit

Murali Krishnan in New Delhi

New Delhi's "America Plus" approach sees India deepening its ties with China and Russia, while also trying to keep BRICS from turning into an anti-Western platform.

But with BRICS both growing in size and increasingly troubled by internal divisions, the forum might limit Narendra Modi's diplomatic gains.

Modi urges Putin to end Ukraine war

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi again appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

During their meeting in New Delhi on the eve of the BRICS summit, Modi told Putin that dialogue and diplomacy are the right way to resolve conflicts, the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia's war in Ukraine and its impact on shipping in the Black Sea have affected India, a major buyer of Russian oil and grain. Indian sailors have also been caught up in drone attacks.

The war, which the Indian Foreign Ministry has referred to as conflicts "in the Black Sea region," is on the agenda for the two-day summit.

India has adopted a typically pragmatic approach to the conflict, seeking to balance ties with the West and with Russia.

However, during an August meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan, Modi urged Putin to end the war, which was in its fifth year.

IN DEPTH: India looks to steer BRICS away from anti-Western turn

The BRICS summit 2026 takes place in Delhi this weekend. Unlike last year, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to attend. Can India keep the expanded bloc united?

Modi meets Iranian president Pezeshkian

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the eve of the BRICS leaders' summit.

According to a statement by India's Foreign Ministry, Modi thanked Pezeshkian for taking part in the summit "despite the challenging circumstances" for Iran, which remains at war with the US and Israel.

Despite that conflict and economic pressure from the US to cut trading ties, India has sought to balance maintaining its relationship with Tehran and with Israel and Arab Gulf states.

Modi called for regional peace and stability to be restored and maintained and for maritime trade routes to be protected, amid the US and Iran's competing blockades of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran facing 'critical, dangerous' pressure — Pezeshkian

Iran is currently experiencing "critical, dangerous" levels of pressure, President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

The pressure comes as a result of the US sanctions on the country, according to Pezeshkian.

"Iran has been subjected to heavy sanctions in recent years," the Iranian leader said ahead of the BRICS summit in India.

"This pressure has reached critical and dangerous stage in recent months following the military aggression by the US and Israel," he added.

Pezeshkian also said that the world is going through a period of "unprecedented complexity."

Putin blames West for attempting to reclaim 'former leadership'

Dmytro Hubenko Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Western countries for attempting to reclaim their "former leadership" in an "unseemly" fashion,

According to Russia's leader, the West is focusing on destroying facilities and pipelines, as well as seizing vessels, in an attempt to maintain its economic leadership.

Putin made these comments while speaking at the BRICS business forum in India.

Modi, Putin reaffirm partnership on issues of mutual interest

Indian PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit that will begin on Saturday.

The two leaders "exchanged views on India-Russia engagement in the multilateral sphere, in particular in BRICS under India’s Chairship for 2026," a statement by India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

In the meeting, the leaders also exchanged views 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."

Reaffirming their ties, the two leaders committed to "remain engaged in an effort to strengthen further the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries," the statement added.

Pezeshkian arrives for BRICS Summit

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian landed in Delhi to attend the BRICS Summit.

This is the first visit by an Iranian President to India in over eight years.

Pezeshkian is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 6.15 p.m. local time Friday to advance two-way trade and strengthen overall ties.

His participation at the BRICS Summit and bilateral talks with Modi holds significance as it comes at a time when tensions are rife in the Middle East and energy market disruptions have shaken the economy worldwide.

WATCH — India's difficult BRICS chairship

With BRICS nations now representing nearly 3.7 billion people and close to 40% of global GDP, leaders are meeting amid rising geopolitical tensions, trade disputes and energy challenges.

While the expanded bloc is seeking a stronger voice in the global economy, disagreements over an alternative payment system and China's dominant role could test unity. Renewable energy and green infrastructure financing are emerging as key areas to watch.

Former UN diplomat: BRICS is 'voice of Global South,' but 'contradictions remain'

Speaking to DW about the BRICS Summit, former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor said that the expansion of the bloc has made it the voice of the Global South.

The BRICS coalition started out with four member countries; Brazil, Russia, India and China but now has 11 members and partner countries after the economic bloc decided to open up membership for more countries in 2023.

Tharoor noted that while Iran joined the coalition, US strategic partners Egypt and Ethiopia also joined.

"The expansion that took place in Johannesburg turned out to be one in which both sets of geopolitical points of view were accommodated," Tharoor noted in an interview with DW.

He argued that, "in some ways the expansion has made it much more the voice of the global south."

However, he also said that while the majority of the world is represented in the new 11-member BRICS, the chances of having a consensus has also decreased.

"I would say that BRICS is functioning, but the contradictions remain, and some contradictions have become even more apparent," he said.

He said that when BRICS leaders met this year, they "could not agree on any particular language, and so the chair, India, issued a chair statement instead… it wasn't just Iran, it was also Ukraine that they couldn't agree on."

Tharoor noted that the bloc has a "built-in set of geopolitical divergences which will crop up whenever issues divide the members."

Piyush Goyal proposes 'borderless' digital trade at BRICS

Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday urged BRICS member countries to link their payment systems, encourage trade in local currencies, and make digital trade more accessible globally.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, Goyal highlighted India's digital payments ecosystem, including the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), as a potential foundation for deeper cross-border financial cooperation among BRICS economies.

"Today, it is also accepted in 11 countries and I would urge the Brics member countries and partner countries to link our payment systems, trade in each other's local currencies, make digital trade global and build together for the future emerging technologies," Goyal said as reported by Indian newspaper Deccan Herald.

Modi, Putin to meet on the sidelines of BRICS

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Delhi on Friday to attend the BRICS Summit being held at the Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13.

He will be meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the afternoon. Talks are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.

"Warmly welcome President Vladimir Putin of Russia for the 18th BRICS Summit. He was received by MoS K V Singh at the airport. India and Russia share multifaceted and longstanding ties anchored in Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jai said.