Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of a two-day BRICS summit expected to be dominated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the expanding conflict in the Middle East, and mounting economic challenges. Putin landed at Palam Air Force Station, where he was greeted by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, AFP reported.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The gathering brings together the leaders of an expanded BRICS at a moment when geopolitical conflicts are testing the group’s ability to maintain a common position. Originally founded in 2009 as a platform for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers, the bloc has expanded to 11 members, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Beneath the choreography of the New Delhi summit, however, lies a coalition divided by competing national interests, territorial disputes and, increasingly, differing approaches toward Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Why BRICS became more important to the Kremlin For Moscow, the summit provides Putin another opportunity to demonstrate that Russia retains influential partners outside the West despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since February 2022, BRICS has taken on greater economic and political importance for the Kremlin. Western governments have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian banks, companies and individuals, while major Russian financial institutions have been cut off from the SWIFT messaging system.