Putin Confirms New Delhi Trip as Jaishankar Visits Moscow
Months of quiet speculation over whether Vladimir Putin would actually show up in New Delhi came to an end on Tuesday. During a meeting in Moscow, the Russian president personally confirmed to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that he will travel to India for the 18th BRICS Summit, set for September 12–13.
The meeting went well beyond travel logistics, though. With global markets on edge and energy routes under strain elsewhere in the world, Jaishankar and Putin used the sit-down to reaffirm just how deeply intertwined the India-Russia relationship has become — spanning trade, energy, nuclear power, and even payment infrastructure.
Putin's Attendance Now Locked In
As this year's rotating BRICS chair, India has been organizing the New Delhi summit for months, and Putin's in-person confirmation removes one of the biggest lingering uncertainties around the event. Notably, New Delhi has been firm about not letting Western secondary sanctions or outside geopolitical pressure influence who it invites to the gathering, a stance this confirmation reinforces.
Trade Between the Two Nations Keeps Climbing
Bilateral trade between India and Russia has now comfortably surpassed $65 billion, according to figures the two leaders reviewed during the meeting. A major driver behind that growth remains India's continued purchase of discounted Russian crude oil, a trend that has persisted even as Washington's expanding "Economic D-Day" sanctions campaign puts pressure on countries doing business with sanctioned economies across the Middle East.
Nuclear Cooperation Moves Forward
Energy cooperation extended into the nuclear sector as well. The two leaders finalized progress on completing the remaining power units at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, one of the flagship projects of India-Russia energy collaboration. Alongside that, they held early discussions about potentially deploying Russia's small modular reactor technology to help expand India's clean energy capacity going forward.
Building an Alternative to the Dollar System
Perhaps the most forward-looking piece of the meeting involved payments infrastructure. To reduce reliance on a US dollar system that has grown increasingly weaponized through sanctions, Moscow and New Delhi agreed to further integrate India's Unified Payments Interface with Russia's Mir payment network. The goal is to allow trade between the two countries to settle smoothly in their own national currencies, sidestepping dollar-based transactions altogether.
| Visiting Leader | Country | Status / Focus at BRICS 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Putin | Russia | Confirmed attendance; focused on multipolar finance and non-dollar energy trade |
| Xi Jinping | China | Expected to attend; SR border talks in Beijing easing tensions ahead of arrival |
| Narendra Modi | India | Host nation; balancing Western ties with BRICS-driven strategic autonomy |
A Hedge Against Global Turbulence
The timing of Jaishankar's Moscow visit is hard to ignore. It comes as key global shipping chokepoints face serious disruption and oil markets remain highly volatile. By locking in long-term energy commitments from Russia and pushing forward on Kudankulam's nuclear expansion, India appears to be actively shielding its economy from the inflation pressures and crude price spikes currently unsettling markets elsewhere.
The Takeaway
With Putin's attendance now confirmed and China's Xi Jinping also expected in New Delhi, the 18th BRICS Summit is shaping up as a significant moment for India's foreign policy — one where Modi will need to carefully balance strengthening ties with Russia and China against maintaining India's traditional partnerships with the West.
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