Modi shares informal moments with Xi, Putin and Prabowo at BRICS 2026
A video from the BRICS summit in New Delhi shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi chatting and sipping tea with leaders Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Prabowo Subianto.
The BRICS summit held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 featured a series of candid interactions among its heads of state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was filmed welcoming the delegations, moving through the reception area and later joining Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for a informal tea break. The montage also shows the leaders standing together for the official group photo with the BRICS 2026 banner in the background.
Security personnel escorted Modi as he navigated the venue, and the footage highlights the personal side of the high-level talks. Journalist Vijaya Srivastava, who specializes in human-centred reporting, provided the description of the event.
Why it matters
The footage illustrates the personal diplomacy shaping relations among major BRICS members at a key international summit.
How this story developed
- Sep 4 India Hosts 2026 BRICS Leaders Summit with Global Leaders in New Delhi
- Sep 11 The two leaders shared a car ride to the INNOPROM India exhibition after their bilateral talks.
- Sep 11 BRICS expanded to eleven member countries.
- Sep 12 The 18th BRICS summit opened in New Delhi with India presiding and leaders including Xi Jinping arriving for the meeting.
- Sep 12 Modi called for immediate UN Security Council reform and urged the Global South to become a rule‑shaper at the summit's opening.
- Sep 12 The two leaders reaffirmed the need for mutual respect, sensitivity and shared interests while discussing border stability and economic cooperation. They highlighted progress in people-to-people contacts and called for expanded cultural, business and mobility links. Both sides also pledged to address trade imbalances, supply-chain challenges and to seek a fair, mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary issue.
- Sep 12 Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS nations at the New Delhi summit to support peace initiatives in the Middle East, saying the war harms the international community.
- Sep 12 The two leaders met on the margins of the BRICS Summit. Vietnam is a partner country in the BRICS grouping.
- Sep 12 Leaders adopted the Delhi Declaration and Modi proposed a continuity mechanism to implement summit outcomes.
- Sep 12 The leaders met bilaterally during the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
- Sep 13 Leaders adopted a 140‑point New Delhi Declaration covering security, trade, climate and technology issues.
- Sep 13 Day 2 of the summit focused on PM Modi’s four‑pillar BRICS agenda, early‑warning and disaster systems, AI, digital agriculture, supply chains and startups.
- Sep 13 President Xi outlined proposals for a BRICS AI Open Source Zone and a China‑hosted service‑trade forum.
- Sep 13 Modi paused his closing‑session speech to query Xi’s translator after the Chinese president showed discomfort and skipped the gala dinner.
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