PM Modi departs for Brics summit in Russia, bilateral meet with China’s Xi likely

India values its cooperation with Brics, especially on issues such as reformed multilateralism and building resilient supply chains, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he left for Russia on Tuesday to participate in a summit of the bloc.
Modi’s two-day visit to the Russian city of Kazan is being watched closely as it comes a day after India announced that it has reached an agreement with China on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), raising the possibility of a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Modi said in his departure statement that the visit will build on the annual India-Russia Summit held in Moscow in July, and reinforce the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries. He added that he looked forward to meeting “other leaders from Brics” on the margins of the summit.
His first engagements after reaching Kazan will be a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The two leaders are expected to review the implementation of decisions made at their summit meeting in July and chart a course for future cooperation.
Modi and Putin are also expected to discuss efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine, including recent contacts between senior Indian and Ukrainian officials, the people said.
There has been no official word from the Indian side on planned bilateral meetings, though the people cited above said Modi is expected to meet Xi in the wake of the agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC amid the dragging military standoff between India and China.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced the LAC agreement at a media briefing on Monday, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar subsequently said the two sides have gone back to the situation that existed on the LAC in 2020, and the disengagement process with China “has been completed”.
The standoff, especially the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020, had taken bilateral relations to their lowest point in six decades. Modi and Xi last interacted formally on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022.
“India values the close cooperation within Brics, which has emerged as an important platform for dialogue and discussion on issues concerning the global developmental agenda, reformed multilateralism, climate change, economic cooperation, building resilient supply chains, promoting cultural and people-to-people connect, among others,” Modi said in his departure statement.
The expansion of Brics, with the addition of new members last year, has added to its “inclusivity and agenda for the global good”, he said.
Brics, which initially brought together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was expanded in 2023 with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia was invited to join Brics but has not done so as yet.