New Delhi, September 11: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Friday for a three-day visit, during which he will participate in the BRICS Summit and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Putin is accompanied by a high-level Russian delegation. His visit marks his first in-person participation in a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

The two-day BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi from Saturday, is expected to focus on strengthening collective resilience in areas including food and energy security, healthcare, disaster management and critical supply chains.

The summit is taking place amid global geopolitical and economic challenges arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the West Asia crisis, disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, and evolving US trade and tariff policies.

Several prominent world leaders are expected to attend the summit, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, among others.

Putin was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs K. V. Singh. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Russian President, highlighting the longstanding and multifaceted India-Russia relationship based on a special and privileged strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Modi and President Putin are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral discussions, with trade, investment, energy, defence, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people ties expected to feature prominently.

The Kremlin has also indicated that the two sides are discussing BrahMos missile upgrades, while Russia remains committed to completing the remaining deliveries of the S-400 air defence systems. Discussions on the proposed supply of Su-57 fighter jets are also expected.