Putin arrives in India for BRICS summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India’s capital New Delhi early Friday, set to join other leaders to attend a weekend summit of the BRICS bloc.

Putin will attend the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and Sunday, according to officials.

Ahead of the summit, Putin is expected to hold talks with Modi in New Delhi on bilateral ties and ongoing global issues.

The BRICS gathering will bring together leaders from across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Before Putin arrived, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira arrived late Thursday night for the summit.

As many as 26 leaders and dignitaries are expected to attend, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

The expanded BRICS membership includes longtime members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as more recent members Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The group also has partner countries, including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The last BRICS summit was held last year in Brazil, with China due to host the 2027 gathering.