PM Modi to visit Russia next week to attend BRICS summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to come face-to-face at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan next week as both leaders are attending the conclave. Modi will pay a two-day visit to Kazan beginning Tuesday to attend the BRICS summit following an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Xi will attend the summit.

In August last year, PM Modi and President Xi held a brief and informal conversation in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit.

There have been speculations about the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders on the margins of the BRICS summit in Kazan.

However, there is no official word on it yet from India or China.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for over four years.

The MEA said Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan.

It is expected that the prime minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Putin during which both the leaders are expected to deliberate on the conflict in Ukraine.

Last month, President Putin proposed a bilateral meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit when NSA Ajit Doval called on him in St Petersburg.

Modi had visited Moscow in July and weeks later he travelled to Ukraine.

In his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Modi said both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an "active role" to restore peace in the region.

The BRICS summit, themed 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security', will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues, the MEA said, announcing Modi's trip to Kazan.

"The summit will offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration," it said.

"During his visit, the prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan, Russia," it said.

The BRIC, as a formal grouping, started after the meeting of the leaders of Russia, India and China in St. Petersburg in 2006. It was agreed to expand BRIC into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. The grouping was further expanded last year.