PM Modi, Vladimir Putin To Meet At SCO Summit In Bishkek

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russia's TASS news agency reported the development. The two leaders will continue their bilateral discussions during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.

Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George confirmed the engagement on Thursday. George said, "A meeting is scheduled between the leaders of India and Russia on the sidelines of the summit." He added that the two leaders will review the broader India-Russia bilateral relationship.

Kremlin Outlines Bilateral Agenda

Putin is scheduled to hold nine bilateral meetings during the SCO Summit, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said, TASS reported. Ushakov said, "Major international events provide a good opportunity for bilateral contacts and bilateral meetings. Naturally, we always take advantage of this opportunity. It will be done this time too." He added, "As of now, we have scheduled nine bilateral meetings for our President."

Putin meets Chinese President Xi Jinping first. "After meeting with the Chinese leader, our President will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Incidentally, this meeting will be quite interesting, as we agreed to discuss several important issues there," Ushakov said. While Ushakov did not disclose the exact agenda, he said the discussions would span several key topics.

Ushakov highlighted the strong geopolitical ties. He added, "Our countries enjoy a privileged strategic partnership. We cooperate very closely, one might say, in all areas of cooperation. Recently, our president received the Indian Foreign Minister, who was visiting Moscow. We also had a very useful conversation, and these contacts will continue."

Modi's Central Asian Itinerary

Modi will embark on a state visit to Uzbekistan from August 29 to August 30 at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He will then travel to Bishkek from August 31 to September 1 to attend the 26th SCO Summit.

This will be the 21st in-person meeting between Modi and Putin since 2014. Their last in-person meeting was in New Delhi in December 2025, when Putin visited India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

The MEA stated that this year's summit marks the 25th anniversary of the organisation. India has been a full member of the SCO since 2017.