New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of regional and global issues, including the Ukraine conflict, the situation in West Asia and key areas of India-Russia cooperation.

The confirmation of the bilateral came from Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who said Russia looks forward to the meeting between the two leaders.

Briefing the Indian media in New Delhi through a video link on Tuesday, the Kremlin spokesperson said that Russia considers India as an important player within BRICS and said Russia intends to continue working closel...