RussiaSeptember 11, 2026 4:08 pm • 2 min readRussian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 11, 2026, on the eve of a BRICS summit. (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi/X)Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the need for diplomatic resolution of conflicts during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 11, India's Foreign Ministry said.India's prime minister "reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward in resolving conflicts, and India stands ready to assist in peace efforts," the ministry's spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said on X.The two leaders met in New Delhi ahead of a BRICS summit held in India's capital between Sept. 12 and 13, an event that will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, among other leaders and top officials.Modi and Putin held "wide-ranging discussions" on bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, and defense, the Indian ministry spokesperson commented.This marks their second meeting in less than two weeks, following talks between the two leaders on the sidelines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek on Aug. 31.At that meeting, Modi similarly urged the Russian president to pursue diplomacy, calling on him to move from "endless war" toward ending Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.India has maintained neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war, while refusing to join international sanctions against Moscow and emerging as one of Russia's leading buyers of fossil fuels.