Putin to Meet Modi at SCO Summit, Discussions to Continue at BRICS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a bilateral meeting on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. This engagement underscores the ongoing high-level dialogue between India and Russia, with their discussions expected to extend to the BRICS Summit in New Delhi later in September.

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Major international events provide a good opportunity for bilateral contacts and bilateral meetings. Naturally, we always take advantage of this opportunity. It will be done this time too.

According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin has nine bilateral meetings scheduled during the SCO Summit. The meeting with Prime Minister Modi will follow Putin's discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the same day. Ushakov described the upcoming Modi-Putin meeting as "quite interesting," indicating that several important issues are slated for discussion, though the specific agenda was not disclosed.

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After meeting with the Chinese leader, our President will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Incidentally, this meeting will be quite interesting, as we agreed to discuss several important issues there.

This meeting will mark the 21st in-person encounter between Modi and Putin since 2014, highlighting the consistent engagement between the two leaders. Their last in-person meeting occurred in New Delhi in December 2025 during Putin's visit for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. The continuity in their high-level interactions, through both bilateral visits and summit side-lines, reflects the strong strategic partnership between the two nations.

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Our countries enjoy a privileged strategic partnership. We cooperate very closely, one might say, in all areas of cooperation.

The Ministry of External Affairs in India has also confirmed the meeting, with Secretary (West) Sibi George stating that India is arranging several bilateral meetings for the Prime Minister based on time availability and convenience. The confirmation from both sides reinforces the significance of this upcoming discussion in the context of the "privileged strategic partnership" between India and Russia, as described by Ushakov, who noted close cooperation across all areas.

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We are working on a few bilateral meetings depending on the availability of time and convenience; the meetings will be held, and as and when the meetings are scheduled, it will be conveyed to you. A meeting is scheduled between the leaders of India and Russia on the sidelines of the summit.