Ramaphosa and Putin discuss trade and student scholarships at BRICS summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi on Saturday, with bilateral trade and education among the issues raised in their public remarks.

The meeting was held behind closed doors after brief welcoming comments by the two leaders. Ramaphosa said the engagement gave South Africa and Russia an opportunity to continue strengthening their relations.

Putin said trade between the two countries was growing, although not as quickly as the governments wanted. He also said Russia had increased its scholarship quota for South African students for the 2026/27 academic period.

No agreement or new trade target was announced in the public portion of the meeting. Further details of the private talks had not been released at the time of publication.

The bilateral engagement took place during the 18th BRICS summit, which is being held in India on 12 and 13 September. The Presidency said South Africa would use the gathering to advance trade and investment, industrialisation, value addition and investment in African infrastructure.

Ramaphosa's programme in New Delhi also includes an India–South Africa business roundtable and sessions on global governance reform. The summit brings together the expanded BRICS membership and invited leaders.

The meeting with Putin took place against the continuing Russia–Ukraine war. South Africa has maintained that the conflict should be resolved through negotiation and has called for adherence to the United Nations Charter.

Ramaphosa is due to address the summit's open session on Sunday. The Presidency said his statement would focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation and inclusive global growth.