The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted in New Delhi, brings together leaders like Prime Minister Modi, President Xi Jinping, and President Putin to tackle critical global economic challenges. The primary focus is on safeguarding developing economies from the repercussions of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, aiming to bolster BRICS as a complementary force for global economic expansion. India, presiding over the summit, is emphasizing actionable solutions for food, energy, and supply chain security, particularly benefiting the Global South. Discussions will also cover the importance of transparent trade and investment practices to foster business collaborations and market access. While the summit aims to strengthen multilateralism, potential disagreements between Iran and the UAE on the West Asia crisis could complicate the consensus on a joint statement. The expanded BRICS group includes several new member nations, signifying its growing international influence and its role in shaping global economic discourse.

The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted in New Delhi, brings together leaders like Prime Minister Modi, President Xi Jinping, and President Putin to tackle critical global economic challenges. The primary focus is on safeguarding developing economies from the repercussions of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, aiming to bolster BRICS as a complementary force for global economic expansion. India, presiding over the summit, is emphasizing actionable solutions for food, energy, and supply chain security, particularly benefiting the Global South. Discussions will also cover the importance of transparent trade and investment practices to foster business collaborations and market access. While the summit aims to strengthen multilateralism, potential disagreements between Iran and the UAE on the West Asia crisis could complicate the consensus on a joint statement. The expanded BRICS group includes several new member nations, signifying its growing international influence and its role in shaping global economic discourse.

The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted in New Delhi, brings together leaders like Prime Minister Modi, President Xi Jinping, and President Putin to tackle critical global economic challenges. The primary focus is on safeguarding developing economies from the repercussions of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, aiming to bolster BRICS as a complementary force for global economic expansion. India, presiding over the summit, is emphasizing actionable solutions for food, energy, and supply chain security, particularly benefiting the Global South. Discussions will also cover the importance of transparent trade and investment practices to foster business collaborations and market access. While the summit aims to strengthen multilateralism, potential disagreements between Iran and the UAE on the West Asia crisis could complicate the consensus on a joint statement. The expanded BRICS group includes several new member nations, signifying its growing international influence and its role in shaping global economic discourse.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other leaders from BRICS nations will gather on Saturday to navigate global challenges, including insulating developing economies from the impact of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.

New Delhi is looking at leveraging the two-day annual summit to position the grouping as a complementary engine for economic growth while being mindful of the sensitivities of the United States and other Western powers, especially in the trade and energy domains.

Beijing has confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in India for a two-day visit starting Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit to be held in Delhi. Political analysts see the visit as a strategic event that significantly raises the importance of the BRICS Summit.

In an address at an event on the sidelines of the summit, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday said that BRICS must work towards addressing economic challenges, including by ensuring transparent trade and investment practices. "The common thread is how to make it easier for businesses in our countries to find more partners, access more markets, connect supply networks, and convert complementarities into viable commercial partnerships," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

Besides Xi and Putin, the other leaders attending the New Delhi BRICS summit are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank (NDB) president Dilma Rousseff, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Chief Zou Jiayi will also be attending the BRICS summit.

Here are five things about the summit that may impress you:

1. While the Brazilian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Uzbek Deputy PM Jamshid Kuchkarov, and Ugandan Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo will represent their respective countries at the summit. Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are also set to join the summit to represent the regional groupings ASEAN, the African Union, and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) respectively.

2. The summit has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia–Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis (especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz), and the Trump administration's trade and tariff policies. Iran has reportedly been pushing to explicitly condemn US–Israel military actions, while the UAE insists that the statement highlight the necessity of maintaining freedom of navigation across critical maritime routes.

3. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the summit will begin at 2:35 pm on Saturday with a closed-door session for BRICS member countries themed "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism".

Following the session, leaders will tour the "Bharat Innovates Exhibition", scheduled to open at 4:25 pm.

At 5:05 pm, the leaders will assemble on the lawns of Bharat Mandapam — the summit venue — for a group photo, followed by a joint tree-planting ceremony. The first day's engagements will conclude with a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Modi at 7:30 pm.

4. As the BRICS chair, India has placed the Global South at the heart of its agenda by seeking actionable solutions for food, energy, and supply chain security, primarily to insulate developing nations from the economic consequences of the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.

5. With just a day left before the summit begins, it remains unclear whether member nations will reach a consensus on a joint statement, as differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia crisis persist within the consensus-based grouping.

BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.

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