Vladimir Putin welcomed offers from Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping to help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Neither leader brought a concrete peace framework, and Modi's meeting with Xi turned instead to the two countries' own border dispute, while Putin kept tying any settlement to demands on NATO enlargement that Western capitals reject.
Vladimir Putin praised Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping's willingness to help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, using the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi to put diplomatic engagement from Asia's two largest powers back in the spotlight.
Modi and Xi raise Ukraine, then pivot away
Modi met Putin on September 11, 2026, raising India's interest in a Ukraine settlement alongside the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the Black Sea. The next day, Modi sat down with Xi, but that conversation shifted away from Ukraine entirely. The two leaders instead emphasized what they called a "fair and reasonable" resolution to their own long-running border dispute.
No concrete plan behind the atmospherics
Putin has a track record of praising mediation offers from Asian powers at multilateral summits, but he keeps tying any peace framework to addressing NATO enlargement, a condition Western capitals treat as a non-starter. Neither Modi nor Xi presented a concrete proposal in New Delhi. India and China's offers of help remain a statement of intent rather than a settlement plan.
Two powers with a stake in staying close to Moscow
India and China have both avoided joining Western sanctions against Russia while maintaining deep strategic and economic ties with Moscow, even as they call for a negotiated end to the fighting. The war is now grinding through its fifth year since Russia's invasion in February 2022. For Modi, hosting the summit offered a chance to project India as a peace facilitator, a role New Delhi has sought since the war began, and the country imports significant Russian energy and defense equipment. The summit also unfolded against the backdrop of US tariffs affecting both India and China.
Ukraine and its Western backers have shown no sign of conceding ground on sovereignty or NATO membership as preconditions for talks, leaving Putin's terms unchanged even as Delhi and Beijing signal readiness to help.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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