Kremlin says Putin welcomed Modi and Xi’s willingness to help with Ukraine settlement

Russia’s president publicly welcomed offers from two of the world’s most powerful leaders to help broker peace in Ukraine, turning the BRICS summit in New Delhi into a stage for high-profile diplomatic signaling on a conflict now grinding through its fifth year. Vladimir Putin praised the willingness of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to support a negotiated settlement during the 18th BRICS Summit, held September 11-12, 2026. Modi declared India’s readiness to assist peace efforts through dialogue and diplomacy, while Xi’s engagement reinforced Beijing’s positioning as a potential intermediary. What actually happened in New Delhi Modi met with Putin on September 11, using the encounter to raise India’s interest in a Ukraine settlement alongside a more immediate concern: the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the Black Sea. The following day, Modi sat down with Xi. But that conversation steered in a different direction entirely, centering on their own longstanding boundary dispute rather than Ukraine. The two leaders emphasized what they called a “fair and reasonable” resolution to border tensions. Putin, for his part, has a track record of ...