UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday (September 11, 2026) held wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on current conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, with the world body chief reaffirming the principle of freedom of navigation.
Modi in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS summit that Delhi is hosting on September 12-13. Guterres, whose second five-year tenure as head of the United Nations ends in December 2026, had travelled to India in February to attend the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. Earlier reporting noted: Modi and Pezeshkian met on the margins of the Brics Summit in New Delhi for the second time since August 31, when they held talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek. Pezeshkian is on his first visit to India since he became President in 2024.
Mr. Guterres met Mr. The two leaders also exchanged views on the growing danger of lethal autonomous weapons. Mr.
The two leaders “had a wide-ranging discussion on the current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the impact both are having on the global economy, including regarding access to food and fertiliser,” the office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said in a statement. It said the secretary-general “reaffirmed the principle of freedom of navigation. They also discussed the priorities of India’s presidency of the BRICS, including the need for multilateral institutions that clearly reflect the realities of the world in the 21st century, the statement said. Earlier reporting noted: The two leaders exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia, and the external affairs ministry said in a readout that Modi reiterated India’s “consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy”.
Earlier reporting noted: Modi urges Iran’s Pezeshkian to resolve West Asia conflict through dialogue Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to resolve the West Asia conflict through dialogue, even as he sought continued efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers.
The UN chief has been invited to speak at the summit’s Open Session on ‘Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth’ on September 13. India, a founding member of BRICS, is Chair for 2026 and will be hosting the 18th BRICS Summit, which will bring together leaders of member states and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.
