Russian President Vladimir Putin met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held separate talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in New Delhi ahead of the 18th BRICS leaders’ summit. Discussions covered trade, energy, defence, civil nuclear power, fertilisers, critical minerals, manufacturing, railways, steel, food security and regional and global affairs. Russia raised its scholarship quota for South African students to 100 for the 2026-27 academic year, while el-Sisi said Russia-Egypt trade had exceeded $10 billion and highlighted the Russian-built El Dabaa nuclear power plant. Putin also invited el-Sisi to the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow on Oct. 28-29 and said digital technologies, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, payment systems and food security would be priorities. Putin and Modi were meeting for the second time in two weeks; India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian oil, with Russia accounting for a record 51% of Indian crude imports in July 2026 before its share likely moderated in August.