NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian separately in New Delhi on Friday as the countries seek to strengthen ties before a weekend summit of the BRICS nations.
BRICS, chaired by India this year, is a grouping of major emerging markets and developing countries. The group’s acronym comes from the names of its founding members in 2006, Brazil, Russia,
India, China, as well as South Africa, which joined soon after. It has expanded to include 11 member countries representing about half the world’s population.
Modi and Putin discussed cooperation in political, economic, defense, energy and other sectors. They also spoke about India-Russia engagement in BRICS and exchanged views on regional and global issues, including conflicts in the Middle East, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Modi thanked Pezeshkian for Iran's high-level participation in BRICS, “despite the challenging circumstances.” the ministry's separate statement said, referring to the Iran war. The statement also said that both leaders discussed bilateral ties.
Their meeting came ahead of the BRICS summit on Saturday and Sunday, which will bring together leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. The grouping faces a test of its unity during the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, as well as rising tensions between the United States and China.
India has maintained close defense and economic ties with Russia for decades. New Delhi has called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine, while maintaining relations with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
India has declined to join Western efforts to isolate Moscow over the war. At the same time, New Delhi is pursuing major trade and investment agreements with the U.S. and Europe.
Modi on Friday reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward between Russia and Ukraine, and said that India was ready to assist in peace efforts, the ministry said.
Russia also remains a key supplier of military equipment to India, although New Delhi has sought to diversify its defense purchases. India has also sharply increased imports of discounted Russian oil since the invasion, making energy another pillar of the relationship and helping cushion the impact of the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.
Putin last visited India in December 2025, but he met with Modi in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, earlier this month.
Despite India's deepening partnerships with Israel and the Gulf Arab states, New Delhi has steadily maintained its ties with Iran.
India’s relationship with Iran remains constrained by geopolitics, with New Delhi balancing its strategic interests against strong Western pressure. Severe U.S. sanctions and secondary penalties on businesses trading with Iran have forced India to stop direct crude oil imports and made banking transactions more difficult.
Modi called for sustained efforts to preserve regional peace and stability, safeguard maritime trade routes and protect seafarers, the statement said.
Pzeshkian’s visit is likely to bridge some gaps and strengthen ties with India, experts say.
“Given Prime Minister Modi’s presence in Israel and his emphatic support just days before the U.S.-Israel-Iran war broke out, President Pzeshkian’s first visit to India takes on quiet significance,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “India has been forced to reckon with Iran’s importance in the region and to reconsider its approach.”
