World · India Bureau
Modi holds key bilateral talks at BRICS Summit amid diplomatic push
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is conducting a series of high-level bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit 2026. The Indian leader's scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is drawing particular international attention.
LSN India ·
NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leveraging the BRICS Summit 2026 platform to advance India's diplomatic agenda through multiple bilateral engagements with global leaders.
Over the course of the summit, Modi has held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The schedule expanded on Sunday with meetings with the leaders of Malaysia, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam, reflecting India's broad diplomatic outreach across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
The most closely watched engagement of the day is expected to be Modi's evening meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The bilateral session carries significance given the strategic importance of India-China relations, particularly against the backdrop of ongoing regional tensions and the two nations' competing interests in South Asia and beyond.
The summit has provided Modi with a multilateral platform to underscore India's role as a bridge-builder among BRICS nations and to strengthen bilateral partnerships with both BRICS members and observer nations. The convergence of multiple world leaders offers New Delhi an opportunity to shape consensus on issues ranging from global governance reform to economic cooperation.
The bilateral meetings reflect the Indian government's efforts to maximize diplomatic dividends from multilateral summits while maintaining India's balancing act among major powers in an increasingly multipolar international order.