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New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday began a three-day visit to India to participate in the BRICS summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation.

Putin is accompanied by a high-level delegation.

It will be his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

The two-day BRICS summit hosted by India starting Saturday is expected to focus on boosting collective resilience in food, energy, health, disaster reduction and critical supply chains with New Delhi positioning the bloc as an effective anchor to navigate a fragmented geopolitical environment.

The summit in New Delhi is taking place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration’s trade and tariff policies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung are among the top leaders attending the summit.

Putin and Modi are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks on Friday afternoon.

The meeting is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges. PTI MPB ARI ARI

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