Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP/File)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to attend the New Delhi summit of BRICS leaders on September 12 and 13, sources told The Indian Express Tuesday.
It is learnt that the Russian and the Chinese sides have conveyed to New Delhi that their leaders are likely to come for the summit.
Putin’s presence at the summit was confirmed by Russian officials, according to Russian news agency TASS. He will also be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on August 31 and September 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is likely to attend the SCO summit.
Sources said Xi’s participation in the BRICS Summit is the most anticipated visit. It will be his first visit to India after October 2019 when he was at Mamallapuram near Chennai for the second informal summit of India-China leaders.
Bilateral ties between India and China dived after a border standoff began in April-May 2020. The process of stabilisation of ties began after Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024. That was when the two sides decided to complete disengagement of troops at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
In the last year-and-half, India and China have made significant progress in stabilising relations with direct flights, resumption of visas, easing of curbs on Chinese firms and the revival of the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.
However, more than 50,000 troops remain deployed along the LAC and the process of de-escalation and de-induction of troops have not yet taken place.
Story continues below this ad
Barring any unforeseen developments, participation at the highest level has been conveyed to New Delhi. The venue has not yet been announced, but the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, sources said, is to be the likely choice of place for the summit.
Sources said the meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers in New Delhi last week discussed the agenda for the summit of the leaders, and there was agreement on a range of issues for discussion.
While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov participated in the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi could not attend since he had to be in Beijing for the high-stakes meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump. China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, attended the meeting on Wang’s behalf.
Sources said the Indian government is also keen that the BRICS countries, which have been divided on the issue of the war in West Asia, should find common ground by the time the summit takes place.
Story continues below this ad
With no consensus at the BRICS meeting last week on the diplomatic language for the West Asia war, India issued a chair statement, trying to balance the divergence between Iran and UAE, both members of the grouping.
