BRICS leaders and senior officials gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for the group’s 18th summit, with the prolonged US-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars casting a shadow over discussions on global trade, energy security and economic stability.
The summit comes as the US-Iran conflict has fueled an energy crisis and heightened concerns over inflation, trade disruptions and energy supplies worldwide.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped the meeting would produce “positive” and “meaningful” discussions, while China said it looked forward to working with fellow BRICS members to promote dialogue and negotiations and safeguard regional and global peace and stability.
Expanded BRICS puts multilateralism at center
The 11-member grouping brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the countries that gave BRICS its name, alongside Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are among the leaders attending, alongside officials representing other member states.
The first day features a closed-door session focused on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.” Leaders will also visit the Bharat Innovates Exhibition, participate in a tree-planting ceremony and attend a dinner hosted by Modi.
Brazil is represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, while Saudi Arabia is represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
BRICS seeks greater role in global economy
The bloc has also expanded its outreach through a partner-country framework that includes Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Day two will focus on “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth,” with leaders expected to issue a joint statement.
According to figures cited by BRICS, the expanded grouping now represents about 49.5 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of global GDP and 26 percent of global trade, underscoring its growing weight in the international economy.
The previous BRICS leaders’ summit was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025.
