NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian president Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on Friday, with trade and economic cooperation expected to feature prominently on the agenda, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.Moscow also welcomed India’s willingness to contribute to efforts aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.Putin is scheduled to visit India for the BRICS Summit, which will begin in New Delhi on September 12. Ahead of the visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the trip will provide an opportunity for the two countries to discuss issues concerning bilateral relations. He also wished India success in hosting the summit.“In a couple of days, President Putin will begin his India visit. You know that our two leaders, Indian and Russian leaders, are in a very close personal contact. They are very pragmatic in their relationship, and they are as sincere as to be able to discuss in a very open and constructive way the most sensitive issues of our agenda and our bilateral relations. Of course, it opens additional horizons for our cooperation,” Peskov said.“We have no doubt that the summit will be successful. Russia, we are doing our best to contribute to further development of BRICS cooperation in the three main pillars of our interaction. So, those are policy and security. economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contexts. So, we are supporting idea of inviting new countries to join different formats within BRICS,” he added.Peskov also said Russia is awaiting negotiations with India on the construction of new nuclear power plants.The Kremlin spokesperson stressed the need for cooperation in the financial sector, alleging that some countries were using their currencies as a tool of political oppression.“The cooperation space within BRICS financial sphere is of great importance. Russia recently reached a level of 90 percent of all the payments, all the transactions with BRICS countries being made in national currencies, it’s very important. It’s not because we are aiming for de-dollarization, for getting rid of US dollars. To the contrary, we are open to to every acceptable methods of payments, but you know that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political oppression.
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They are introducing sanctions based on their national currencies. So, if they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money,” Peskov said.India is set to host the 18th Brics Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, as the grouping of major emerging market economies and developing nations continues to expand its role in global affairs.The grouping began as Bric, comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China. It held its first Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2006, followed by its inaugural summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined the grouping in 2011, leading to the formation of BRICS.Under India’s 2026 chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” New Delhi is seeking to move the grouping’s agenda beyond political coordination towards practical cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, healthcare, energy, digital technology, urban development, small enterprises, startups, climate action and cultural exchanges.
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