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 presidents discussed Ukraine during their talks, with Putin informing Modi about his latest contacts with US representatives, including a recent phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

“The president informed [Modi] about our latest contacts with American representatives, including a telephone conversation with Trump,” state-run news agency Tass quoted Ushakov as saying.

The meeting was held at the Bharat Mandapam convention center, according to the Kremlin.

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

Ushakov said Thursday that 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, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.