PM Modi holds hands with Putin, Xi in striking photo from BRICS Summit

A picture speaks a thousand words. And when it brings together the leaders of three major world powers, it speaks a million.A photograph released on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi shows PM Modi standing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, holding hands with both leaders as they share a light-hearted moment.The image comes as India hosts the summit amid tensions over the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. New Delhi is also working to strengthen ties with Russia and China while maintaining its partnerships with other major powers.India, China and Russia were among the four founding members of BRIC, along with Brazil, when the grouping took shape in 2006. South Africa was invited to join in 2010 and attended its first summit as a member in 2011, giving BRICS the name it still uses today. Putin arrived in New Delhi on September 11 and held bilateral talks with PM Modi on Friday. During the meeting, Modi reiterated his call for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict and raised the safety of Indian seafarers.Xi, meanwhile, is visiting India for the first time in seven years. Modi and Xi are scheduled to hold talks on the sidelines of the summit, with border issues, trade and investment likely to be high on the agenda. A day earlier, a photograph of Modi holding hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian went viral online. It drew attention amid the conflict involving Iran, which has disrupted energy supplies and maritime trade.The two photographs capture India’s continued focus on a non-aligned foreign policy in an increasingly fractured world.New Delhi has maintained that it stands for peace and dialogue while avoiding alignment with rival geopolitical camps, an approach that also informs its stewardship of the BRICS Summit.- EndsPublished On: Sep 12, 2026 16:08 IST