BRICS not against anyone, says Putin

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday stressed the BRICS grouping was not against anyone and Moscow was open to working with the whole world as he agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties with India and slammed the economic restrictions imposed by the West on his country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the safety of Indian seafarers in the Black Sea during bilateral talks with Putin and reiterated India's readiness to support any peace initiative to end the Ukraine conflict.

The grouping, he said, should convert its growing economic weight into concrete opportunities for businesses, positioning India as a country building "economic bridges" at a time when trade barriers are rising globally. "Global trade can only progress if sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe.

The meeting took place hours after Putin landed in New Delhi on a three-day visit to participate in the high-stakes BRICS summit. Addressing a gathering of BRICS business leaders ahead of the summit, Putin said Russia was ready to work with partners on infrastructure and logistics projects, including the Arctic Transport Corridor and North-South Transport Corridor, as well as cooperation in technology, artificial intelligence, unmanned transport, finance, tourism and industry. “We are not against anyone,” Putin said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the safety of Indian seafarers in the Black Sea with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterating India’s readiness to support any peace initiative to end the Ukraine conflict even as both leaders agreed to shore up bilateral trade ties amid growing uncertainties and geopolitical upheaval.

The meeting took place hours after Putin landed in New Delhi on a three-day visit to participate in the high-stakes BRICS summit. Following the talks, the two leaders travelled in the same car inside the Bharat Mandapam complex to reach the venue of a business forum.

Signalling their resolve to maintain deeper engagement across diverse sectors, the two leaders agreed to work on further strengthening the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India