Moscow, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India for the BRICS Summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Speaking to reporters during a virtual briefing from Moscow, Peskov said the meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 11, ahead of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
"We're looking forward to the President and Prime Minister having another bilateral meeting during the visit. It is scheduled. It is scheduled for Friday, so first, like always, they will touch on the bilateral agenda. Trade and economic cooperation is a very wide scope," Peskov said.
Peskov informed that Putin's visit would provide an opportunity for the two countries to discuss bilateral relations and 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," he said.
Peskov also expressed confidence that the summit would be successful and said Russia was seeking to contribute to the further development of BRICS cooperation across its three main areas of interaction: policy and security; economy and finance; and cultural and humanitarian issues.
"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 the idea of inviting new countries to join different formats within BRICS," he said.
On financial cooperation within BRICS, Peskov highlighted the growing use of national currencies for trade and transactions among member countries.
"The cooperation space within BRICS financial sphere is of great importance. Russia recently reached a level of 90 per cent of all the payments, all the transactions with BRICS countries being made in national currencies, it's very important," Peskov said.
He said the move was not aimed specifically at eliminating the use of the US dollar, but reflected what Russia described as the need for alternative payment mechanisms.
"It's not because we are aiming for de-dollarization, for getting rid of U.S. dollars. To the contrary, we are open to every acceptable method of payment, but you know that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political oppression. They are introducing sanctions based on their national currencies. So, if they don't let us use their money, we use our own money," he said.
The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, comes as the grouping continues to expand its focus on economic, political and development cooperation among major emerging-market and developing economies.
The grouping was initially established as BRIC, comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China. The countries held their first foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2006 and their first summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined the grouping in 2011, leading to the BRICS name.
Under India's 2026 chairship theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", New Delhi's agenda focuses on practical cooperation across areas including commerce, agriculture, healthcare, energy, digital technology, urban development, small enterprises, startups, climate action and cultural exchanges.
India's chairship framework is organised around four primary pillars: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
Resilience focuses on protecting institutions, societies and economies from supply-chain disruptions, health crises, geopolitical shocks and climate risks.
Innovation centres on artificial intelligence, financial technologies, digital public infrastructure and data-driven systems.
Cooperation focuses on expanding trade flows, institutional linkages, development financing and economic policy alignment.
Sustainability seeks to advance climate action, green finance, energy transitions and sustainable development, with an emphasis on ensuring that existing mechanisms deliver long-term operational benefits beyond the summit.
In economic governance and trade, the grouping has advanced the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 while reaffirming support for a multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.
Member states have also adopted the BRICS Global Value Chains Action Plan 2026-2030, along with guiding principles for assessing export-oriented micro, small and medium enterprises.