Putin, Modi meet in New Delhi ahead of BRICS summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, ahead of the latest BRICS summit due to be held in the South Asian country's capital over the weekend.

The meeting was confirmed by the Kremlin, which said the talks were held in the Bharat Mandapam convention center.

No details were given on the outcome of the talks, and what was discussed.

Putin arrived in India earlier on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS summit taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov on Thursday, informal conversation between Putin and Modi is "invaluable." "We highly value the kind of relationship that has developed between the two leaders," he said.

Ushakov added that Putin will hold several other meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.