Archive · 14 Sep 2026
India Balances Ties With Rivals Amid Global Turmoil
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the leaders of China, Russia and Iran during a major meeting in New Delhi.
These countries have complicated relationships with the United States and with India.
India still wants good relations with Western countries.
At the same time, it needs Russia for military and energy support.
China is a difficult neighbor but is also India’s biggest source of imports.
Iran is another country India wants to keep talking to.
Xi Jinping’s visit was his first to India in seven years.
The meetings showed that India believes keeping relationships with many countries is useful in an uncertain world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held significant meetings with the leaders of China, Russia and Iran during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
The meetings highlighted India’s ability to maintain relations with Western countries while building partnerships with nations viewed suspiciously by the United States.
India considers Russian military and energy support important despite encouraging Vladimir Putin toward negotiations over Ukraine.
China remains India’s biggest source of imports and a major strategic challenge, making continued engagement necessary.
Modi’s meetings with Xi Jinping and Masoud Pezeshkian signaled India’s intention to manage ties with China and Iran while keeping its foreign-policy options open.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- What
- Modi held meetings aimed at maintaining and strengthening India’s relationships with China, Russia and Iran.
- When
- The meetings took place over two days on the margins of the BRICS Summit; Modi met Pezeshkian for the second time in two weeks.
- Where
- New Delhi, India, during the BRICS Summit.
- Why
- India views all three relationships as important to its strategic calculations and wants to preserve options amid global tensions.
- Event
- Meetings between Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia and Iran
- Setting
- BRICS Summit in New Delhi
- Chinese leader
- Xi Jinping visited India after seven years
- Russian relationship
- India values Russian military and energy support
- China relationship
- China is India’s biggest source of imports and a major strategic challenge
- Iranian relationship
- Modi and Masoud Pezeshkian met for the second time in two weeks
- Foreign-policy approach
- India is keeping close ties with Western countries while developing partnerships with countries viewed suspiciously by the United States