Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin discuss Ukraine, trade

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed trade, energy, defence and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East in New Delhi on Friday, one day before an 11-member BRICS summit.

Indian broadcasters showed the two leaders smiling, embracing and patting each other on the back at the New Delhi conference centre where the summit will be held.

New Delhi's foreign ministry said after the meeting that Modi “reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy was the way forward in resolving conflicts”. It said the leaders discussed the Middle East and Ukraine, including the impact on maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers.

India has more than 320,000 seafarers, a major share of the global merchant shipping workforce. Several Indian seafarers have been killed or injured in attacks on vessels in the Gulf and the Black Sea region.

Russia is one of India's most important strategic partners and military suppliers. India has also turned to Russian energy during the crisis caused by the US-Iran war, despite Moscow's war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington and other Western capitals.

Putin last visited India in December 2025. He and Modi also met earlier this month at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, where Modi urged Putin to move from an “endless war towards the end of war”.

Indian refiners nearly doubled crude imports from Russia in March, helped by temporary US waivers, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler. Kpler data showed shipments rose to 2.71 million barrels per day in June and a record 2.81 million in July, before falling to 2.07 million in August.

Bilateral goods trade reached $59.9 billion in 2025-26, with India exporting $4.49 billion and importing $55.37 billion, according to Indian government data.