Modi and Putin hold bilateral talks in New Delhi ahead of BRICS summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Friday afternoon, with the Russian leader being the first foreign dignitary to arrive in the city for the BRICS summit.

The two sides discussed steps to raise the bilateral trade target to $100 billion by 2030, and took up projects in the field of civil nuclear cooperation. Talks also covered expanding industrial cooperation, collaboration in railways and tunnelling, development of the steel value chain, and ways to create more business-to-business opportunities.

Russia's efforts to increase employment opportunities for Indian blue-collar professionals, along with cooperation on the mobility of skilled manpower, were also part of the discussions. Among new and emerging areas, cooperation in critical minerals was taken up.

Against the backdrop of continued conflict in West Asia and supply chain disruption, the two sides discussed measures to ensure the flow of energy and fertiliser through strategic joint ventures.

During the meeting, Mr. Modi presented Mr. Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural. The Prime Minister was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary Shaktikanta Das, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials.

The meeting followed an earlier interaction between the two leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, on August 31, where Mr. Modi had called for an end to the war in Ukraine.

According to the Kremlin, Mr. Putin is expected to visit the INNOPROM exhibition, organised jointly by the Ministries of Commerce of India and Russia. He is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries during his stay in New Delhi. The main agreements reached are expected to be reflected in the summit's final document.