Putin Arrives in New Delhi as BRICS Summit Tests Bloc Unity

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday, September 11, 2026, for a three-day visit centered on the 18th BRICS Summit, a gathering analysts say will be shaped by the wars in Iran and Ukraine as much as by economic cooperation. Putin landed at Palam Air Force Station, where he was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh, according to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The main summit sessions open Saturday and run through Sunday at Bharat Mandapam under India's chairship, coinciding with the bloc's 20th anniversary. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is attending in what marks his first visit to India, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected on Saturday in his first trip to the country since 2019, a sign of a cautious thaw six years after a deadly border clash. Other leaders include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, while Saudi Arabia is represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.