Vladimir Putin arrived in the Indian capital of Delhi on Friday as it geared up to host world leaders for the 11-member Brics summit as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are set to test the bloc’s unity and influence.Chinese president Xi Jinping, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto are also confirmed to attend the two-day summit on 12-13 August and hold talks with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi.Mr Putin’s arrival in Delhi on Friday for the summit marks his first in-person appearance at a Brics summit outside Russia since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Russian President Vladimir Putin waves, standing by a limousine, upon his arrival for the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on Friday (AP)Mr Putin arrived at the Palam air force station at dawn in Delhi, where he was received by Indian junior minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, according to footage broadcast by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.Brics, an acronym formed with original member countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia, reflecting its ambition to represent a wider Global South.The summit in Delhi comes more than six months ‌after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, a Brics member since 2024. The conflict has led to a virtual shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's key choke points in the oil trade, pushing crude prices to over $100 a barrel.The club of countries accounts for around a quarter of the world’s nominal gross domestic product and roughly half of its population. It now has 10 full members, bringing together some of the world’s biggest energy producers and consumers.An illuminated view of Bharat Mandapam ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 10, 2026 (AFP/Getty)Mr Putin is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi on Friday, on the eve of the summit to discuss defence, energy, trade, investment and payment mechanisms, according to Russian state media.The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Mr Xi’s visit to India. It would mark the Chinese leader’s first visit since 2019 and also first since the 2020 Galwan episode when the two militaries faced off in the disputed Himalayan borders.Mr Xi is expected to hold talks with Mr Modi on the summit’s sidelines on Saturday, with the two leaders likely to review efforts to stabilise relations and deepen economic engagement.Foreign policy experts expect the conflict in the Middle East as well as the Ukraine war to emerge as the most contentious issues, testing the bloc’s unity. They say the key test will be finding language on the Middle ​East crisis that both Abu Dhabi and Tehran can accept, clearing the way for a joint declaration, which is generally seen as a success. Such a joint statement was unlikely to influence the current geopolitical landscape, but will demonstrate, for ​instance, that a forum of emerging countries could be united against economically debilitating policies like Western sanctions, they say.A traffic police officer directs traffic next to a banner of Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India (Reuters)The Brics foreign ministers summit in May concluded without an agreement on a joint statement due to differences between Iran and the UAE. It instead released a chair statement.Harsh V Pant of India’s Observer Research Foundation said the Gulf conflict would remain the “central fault line this time during the Brics summit”, adding that the “trust deficit” between the countries was high.Jessica Alupo, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, inspects an honour guard upon her arrival to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi (Reuters)"China has economic heft and there is a good opportunity to use that and emerge as a reliable partner, especially when both nations are impacted by America's trade policies,” he said.It was Mr Pezeshkian’s first visit to India as Iranian president, which would put the Middle East conflict firmly on the agenda.Brics member UAE, after being hit by Iranian missiles since the war began, suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran in August.Some of (Brics) new members, Iran and the UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia are embroiled in tensions and don't agree much.Brics in Delhi is taking place under tight security, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital and widespread traffic restrictions in central districts. Hundreds of more CCTV cameras have been installed for surveillance, while the capital has been decked up with lights and roads cleaned and refurbished to welcome the leaders.Security has been stepped up around key hotels, government buildings and routes that will be used by the visiting dignitaries, with several luxury hotels across south and central Delhi reserved for foreign leaders and their delegations. Traffic diversions and restrictions are expected in several parts of the capital as the city prepares for the movement of motorcades.Posters of Mr Modi’s beaming face line the routes that will be taken by foreign leaders, while streets and major landmarks have been illuminated as part of preparations for the summit. Authorities have also increased surveillance around venues that are expected to see a high concentration of diplomatic activity.