Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will hold an online summit on Tuesday hosted by India, seeking to expand the group's influence by allowing Iran and Belarus to become members.

China's President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will be present at the virtual event – Putin's first international appearance since stamping out a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in late June.

Formed in 2001 by China and Russia, with former Soviet central Asian states as members and later joined by India and Pakistan, the eight-member SCO is a political and security group that seeks to counter western influence in Eurasia.

Iran is expected to be accepted as a member, while Belarus will sign a memorandum of obligations leading to its eventual membership. This move will expand the SCO's western flank in both Europe and Asia.

The SCO summit takes place only two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden for a state visit, and the two countries declared themselves "among the closest partners in the world".

India, which holds the presidency of SCO and the G20 this year, has been walking a diplomatic tightrope as relations between western nations and a Russia-China partnership have been tense due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year and Beijing's increasingly assertive presence on the global stage.

During a call last week, Putin and PM Modi discussed the aftermath of the quashed mercenary mutiny, with the Indian leader reiterating the need for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

India has also been increasing bilateral trade with Russia, largely by lifting purchases of Russian oil to a record high – a move which has angered several western capitals. Xi and Putin are both expected to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi in September, alongside President Biden and other member nation leaders.

The summit on Tuesday will also bring PM Modi and Chinese President Xi together virtually for the first time since their meeting at the G20 summit in Indonesia last November. The two countries have been engaged in a border dispute for over three years.

PM Modi will also share the virtual stage with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, 10 months after the two attended the SCO summit in Uzbekistan. At the summit, SCO member nations are expected to discuss various topics, including Afghanistan, terrorism, regional security, climate change and digital inclusion.

The last SCO meeting in May saw India and Pakistan attacking each other over Kashmir, terrorism and a souring of bilateral ties. India will hand over the presidency of the bloc to Kazakhstan at the summit.