NEW DELHI, Sept. 12 — Leaders of the BRICS bloc gathered in India’s capital on Saturday for the 18th summit, the third full in-person meeting since the group admitted Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members in January 2024.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the summit under India’s 2026 chairmanship, following Russia’s 2024 presidency and Brazil’s 2025 presidency. In a significant diplomatic display, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both attended the summit in person. Despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Putin, India is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and is under no legal obligation to detain him, allowing the Russian leader to travel freely to New Delhi.
The vastly expanded grouping — which now includes Indonesia and Saudi Arabia alongside the original members and the 2024 intake — represents roughly half of the world’s population and a dominant share of global GDP on a purchasing-power-parity basis, solidifying its role as a formidable counterweight to Western-dominated institutions.
The summit’s draft declaration calls for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council and international financial institutions, and accelerates the push for local currency usage in cross-border trade to insulate member states from Western financial sanctions. A proposed BRICS payment system remains at the study stage, with India cautioning against moves that could complicate its ties with Western partners.
The ongoing war in the Middle East and the conflict in Ukraine featured prominently in closed sessions. Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged a negotiated settlement in Ukraine, while South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated his government’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. India maintained its stance of dialogue and diplomacy without explicitly naming Russia.
Analysts noted the summit highlighted both the bloc’s growing geopolitical weight and its internal contradictions. “BRICS is united by what it opposes — Western dominance — but divided on what it proposes,” said a New Delhi-based strategist.