The 18th BRICS Summit begins in New Delhi on September 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting leaders from major emerging economies at a time of intense geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
The two-day summit, scheduled for September 12 and 13, 2026, comes against the backdrop of the US-Israel war on Iran, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, volatile global energy markets and wider economic pressures.
New Delhi has been transformed ahead of the gathering, with BRICS-themed displays, illuminated public spaces and enhanced security arrangements across the capital. Around 30,000 additional security personnel have reportedly been deployed, while several roads near hotels hosting visiting dignitaries have been restricted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the summit and bilateral engagements. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also visiting India, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
With more than a dozen international leaders expected to participate, this year’s BRICS meeting is taking place at a particularly sensitive moment for the grouping.
The central question is whether BRICS members, despite their growing geopolitical differences, can find common ground on global conflicts while continuing to expand economic and strategic cooperation.
What Is BRICS?
BRICS began as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China, with the first BRIC summit held in 2009. South Africa joined the group in 2010, turning BRIC into BRICS.
The grouping expanded significantly following decisions taken in 2023. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join, while Indonesia became a member in 2025.
Argentina was also invited during the expansion process but declined the offer following the election of President Javier Milei, who had campaigned on strengthening Argentina’s relationship with Western countries.
BRICS now has 11 member nations, collectively accounting for roughly 49% of the global population and around 40% of worldwide GDP.
The grouping aims to increase cooperation among emerging economies and push for a more balanced international system, particularly in global finance, trade and economic governance.
Unlike organisations such as NATO or the European Union, BRICS does not operate as a formal military or political alliance. Its members have different foreign policies and strategic interests, but cooperate on areas where their interests overlap.
Who Is Attending the BRICS Summit 2026?
Several BRICS members are represented by their heads of government or state.
The key leaders attending include:
- India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin
- China: President Xi Jinping
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa
- Iran: President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Egypt: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
- Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
- Indonesia: President Prabowo Subianto
Brazil is not sending President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is occupied with domestic elections. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira is representing Brazil.
Saudi Arabia is represented by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, while the UAE delegation is led by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Other leaders and senior representatives attending include Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippine President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Representatives from Cuba, Uganda, Uruguay and Bahrain are also participating.
The summit additionally brings together senior officials from major international organisations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
What Is on the BRICS Summit 2026 Agenda?
India’s BRICS presidency has adopted the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.”
The agenda covers economic resilience, energy security, technology, trade, payment systems and geopolitical developments.
One of the main objectives is to strengthen cooperation between member countries while reducing vulnerabilities created by sanctions, trade restrictions and disruptions to global supply chains.
Economic Cooperation and Trade Under Focus
Economic resilience is expected to be one of the central themes of the summit.
BRICS members are looking at ways to increase trade, improve energy cooperation and exchange knowledge in areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced technology.
Cross-border payment mechanisms are also likely to receive attention, particularly because Russia and Iran face extensive Western sanctions.
Discussions are expected to explore ways of making transactions between BRICS countries easier without necessarily attempting to completely replace the US dollar.
Russia is also expected to discuss the possibility of using digital currencies for trade settlements with BRICS partner countries.
Analysts say stronger payment links, more reliable supply chains and alternative financial channels could help member countries reduce exposure to external economic shocks.
US-Israel War on Iran Creates a Major Challenge
The conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran is one of the most sensitive issues facing BRICS.
Iran is now a BRICS member, while the UAE is also part of the grouping, creating differing interests within the bloc over the conflict.
A previous BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in May failed to produce a unified condemnation of the war, highlighting the difficulty of reaching consensus on contentious geopolitical issues.
For Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the summit is particularly significant. It is his first visit to India as Iran’s president and the first visit by an Iranian president to India in eight years.
The conflict has also affected shipping routes, energy supplies and global markets, giving the issue a direct economic dimension for BRICS members.
India, meanwhile, faces a delicate diplomatic balancing act. New Delhi maintains relationships with Iran and Israel while also seeking to preserve its important partnership with the United States.
Analysts expect BRICS leaders to focus on broader principles such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect for national interests, rather than directly assigning blame to individual countries.
Russia-Ukraine War Also on the Table
Russia’s war in Ukraine is another major issue likely to feature in discussions.
BRICS has historically struggled to adopt a unified position on the conflict because members have different relationships with Russia, Ukraine, the United States and Europe.
At the 2025 BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, the group’s declaration avoided direct criticism of Moscow and instead condemned attacks carried out against Russia.
Analysts expect the 2026 summit to continue this cautious approach.
The recent diplomatic engagement between US representatives and Russian President Vladimir Putin could also influence discussions around the conflict.
For Russia, the summit provides an important opportunity to demonstrate that Moscow continues to maintain relationships with major countries across the Global South despite pressure from Western governments.
Why Is Xi Jinping’s Visit to India Important?
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India after seven years adds another important dimension to this year’s BRICS summit.
Relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been strained since the deadly border confrontation in the Himalayas in 2020.
Although ties have shown signs of improvement, disagreements over their disputed border, trade imbalance and wider strategic competition remain.
The BRICS summit provides Modi and Xi with an opportunity to hold discussions alongside the broader multilateral meeting.
Analysts believe that improving India-China relations could have wider implications for the functioning of BRICS, particularly because both countries are among its most influential members.
BRICS Faces Internal Divisions
The expansion of BRICS has increased its economic and geopolitical importance, but it has also made consensus more difficult.
The members have different relationships with the United States, Europe and one another, while several are involved in regional disputes.
Iran-UAE Differences
Iran and the UAE have conflicting interests in relation to the Middle East conflict.
Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against US military positions and infrastructure across the Gulf, including targets in the UAE. The conflict has therefore created direct tensions between two BRICS members.
The UAE also announced an indefinite trade embargo involving Iran in August.
These differences could make it difficult for BRICS to produce strong, specific language on the war.
Iran-Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Conflict
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are another potential source of disagreement.
Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out drone and missile attacks against energy infrastructure and other targets in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is fighting the Houthis.
The situation has become even more significant because of developments involving Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a major route for international shipping.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held discussions with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan about increasing regional tensions and the need for diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.
India and China Have Different Visions for BRICS
Beyond their bilateral disagreements, India and China also have different ideas about the strategic role BRICS should play.
China increasingly presents itself as a leading voice of the Global South and views BRICS as an important platform for strengthening cooperation among developing nations and challenging Western influence.
India, however, has generally positioned BRICS as a mechanism for maintaining strategic autonomy and developing partnerships outside the Western system without turning the organisation into an explicitly anti-Western alliance.
This difference is unlikely to disappear during the 2026 summit.
Russia and China are more comfortable portraying BRICS as a counterweight to American influence, while India and several other members prefer a less confrontational approach.
Can BRICS Reduce Dependence on the US Dollar?
The possibility of increasing trade in currencies other than the US dollar remains an important discussion within BRICS.
Some members have expressed interest in strengthening local-currency transactions and developing alternative payment arrangements.
However, completely replacing the dollar is considered difficult because BRICS economies differ significantly in size, financial structures, currency stability and monetary policy.
Rather than pursuing an immediate replacement of the dollar, the grouping may focus on creating additional payment and settlement options that give members greater flexibility.
What Does BRICS Mean for the Global South?
The growing importance of BRICS reflects a broader shift towards a more multipolar global order.
Many developing countries are seeking greater influence within international institutions, alternative sources of financing and additional options for trade and payments.
Analysts argue that the expansion of BRICS is driven less by a desire to form a unified anti-US alliance and more by members’ interest in having greater strategic flexibility.
Countries want more choices when dealing with sanctions, tariffs, supply-chain disruptions and financial pressures from major powers.
Should Western Countries Be Concerned?
US President Donald Trump has previously criticised BRICS and described the grouping as a potential threat to American economic influence.
However, analysts say Washington should not necessarily view BRICS as a unified anti-American bloc.
The organisation contains countries with significantly different economic and foreign-policy interests, making a single coordinated geopolitical strategy difficult.
Instead, the more important message for Western governments may be the growing demand among emerging economies for greater strategic autonomy.
Countries joining or engaging with BRICS are seeking more influence over global institutions, alternative sources of financing and payment channels, and greater protection against disruptions caused by sanctions, tariffs or geopolitical tensions.
The Bigger Challenge for BRICS
The key test for BRICS is not necessarily whether all 11 members can agree on every global conflict.
The group’s long-term relevance may depend on whether countries with competing interests can continue cooperating on practical issues such as trade, finance, energy, technology, infrastructure and development.
The 2026 summit therefore comes at a crucial moment. Wars in Iran and Ukraine, tensions between BRICS members and growing economic uncertainty have exposed the differences within the grouping.
At the same time, those same challenges have strengthened the argument for greater cooperation among emerging economies.
The outcome of the New Delhi summit will offer an important indication of whether BRICS can manage its internal disagreements while continuing to expand its influence in an increasingly multipolar world.