New Delhi, September 11: India is set to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, bringing together leaders of the expanded grouping at a time of growing geopolitical tensions, global economic uncertainty and disruptions to key trade and energy routes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the summit under India’s 2026 BRICS chairmanship, is expected to hold discussions with several major world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Xi’s visit is particularly significant as it will mark his first visit to India in seven years. A possible meeting between Modi and Xi is expected to draw global attention amid a cautious improvement in relations between India and China following years of tensions along the Himalayan border.
Expanded BRICS Faces Major Test
The New Delhi summit comes at an important moment for BRICS, which has expanded significantly in recent years. Along with the original members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the grouping now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
The expansion has increased BRICS’ global influence but has also brought together countries with sharply different geopolitical interests. One of the biggest challenges before the summit will be finding common ground on major international conflicts, particularly the continuing crisis involving Iran and tensions in the Middle East.
The situation has become especially complicated because Iran and the UAE, both part of the expanded BRICS grouping, are currently on opposing sides of the regional crisis. Diplomats and analysts believe reaching a consensus on the wording of a joint declaration could therefore become one of the most difficult tasks at the New Delhi summit.
Trade, Energy and Global Governance on Agenda
Apart from geopolitical developments, leaders are expected to discuss global governance, multilateralism, trade and investment, technological cooperation, food and energy security, healthcare, disaster resilience and the security of critical supply chains.
India is also expected to push for greater cooperation in cross-border payments and financial connectivity. One proposal under discussion involves improving interoperability between the central bank digital currencies of BRICS nations to make international transactions faster and easier.
However, significant political and technical challenges remain due to differences in the financial systems and strategic interests of the member countries. India has maintained that efforts to improve payment connectivity are aimed at making cross-border transactions easier rather than replacing the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
Focus on Innovation and Supply Chains
The summit is also expected to focus on practical economic cooperation, including proposals related to a BRICS Incubator Network, a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund and a framework for cooperation on logistics and supply chains.
These initiatives are aimed at improving connectivity between businesses, startups and institutions across BRICS nations while strengthening supply chains that have come under increasing pressure due to global conflicts and disruptions to major trade routes.
Modi-Putin and Modi-Xi Meetings in Focus
Beyond the main BRICS sessions, bilateral diplomacy is expected to be one of the major highlights of the summit.
Modi and Putin are expected to discuss trade and economic cooperation, with energy likely to remain an important area of discussion. Russia continues to be a major energy supplier to India, while New Delhi faces the challenge of maintaining its longstanding strategic relationship with Moscow amid pressure from Western countries over Russian oil purchases.
A Modi-Xi meeting, meanwhile, would be closely watched for signs of further improvement in India-China relations. Discussions are expected to include trade, investment, border management and broader regional and global developments. Despite recent diplomatic engagement, significant differences and strategic mistrust between the two Asian powers remain.
A Crucial Summit for India’s BRICS Chairmanship
For India, the summit represents an important opportunity to project itself as a leading voice of the developing world and strengthen cooperation among countries of the Global South.
India’s BRICS chairmanship has been guided by the theme of building resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. As the grouping continues to expand, New Delhi will face the difficult task of building consensus among countries with diverse political, economic and strategic interests.
The biggest question emerging from the New Delhi summit will be whether the expanded BRICS grouping can move beyond broad political statements and deliver concrete cooperation on trade, finance, technology, innovation and supply chains.
With some of the world’s most influential leaders gathering in the Indian capital, the September 12-13 summit is expected to be closely watched not only for its official outcomes but also for the high-level bilateral meetings taking place on its sidelines.
