Putin intends to meet with Modi at forum in Kyrgyzstan

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said he aims to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a regional forum next week, while calling for stepped-up trade cooperation between the two nations.At a meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Kremlin on Aug 24, Putin highlighted a recovery in trade turnover between Russia and India following a dip the prior year. He then asked the foreign minister to pass on his greetings to the prime minister.“I would like to ask you to convey my very best wishes to Mr Modi,” Putin said. “I hope to see him in the near future, as we planned, during the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Our schedule is such that we will probably be able to meet once again in 2026.”The SCO will be held in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, from Aug 31 to Sept 1. Jaishankar responded by pointing out that the two leaders would likely meet again after that.“I would like to note that our economic cooperation has grown significantly,” Jaishankar told the Russian leader. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to meeting you at the SCO summit and also hopes that you will have the opportunity to attend the BRICS summit and hold this annual summit.”The 18th BRICS summit will be held in New Delhi from Sept 12 to 13. Member states include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.Putin pledged that Russia would boost supplies of fertiliser to India.Russia and India’s relations date back decades to the Cold War era, when the Soviet Union provided military backing and arms to the then-non-aligned New Delhi at a time when Washington was closely tied with neighbouring Pakistan. BLOOMBERG