BRICS Summit 2026: Modi welcomes Putin, Xi as global leaders meet in Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed global leaders to New Delhi for the two-day BRICS Summit, with the expanded grouping set to deliberate on economic resilience, trade, investment and the impact of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders are attending the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam. The gathering comes amid disruptions to global energy and supply chains caused by geopolitical conflicts and growing tensions over international trade.
The summit is being held under India’s BRICS presidency theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. India has placed resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability at the centre of its agenda. The grouping is expected to discuss cooperation in health, agriculture, food and energy security, disaster management and supply-chain resilience, besides trade, investment, connectivity and emerging technologies.
New Delhi is also pushing for greater cooperation in digital public infrastructure, fintech, artificial intelligence and knowledge-sharing to support inclusive and future-ready growth.
The summit assumes added significance for India amid the continuing Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in West Asia, including disruptions affecting energy and maritime trade. At the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, Modi stressed the importance of secure sea lanes, open supply routes and the safety of seafarers, underlining India’s support for freedom of navigation.
The summit also comes as India seeks to strengthen its strategic relationships with both Russia and China. Modi held bilateral talks with Putin on Friday, reviewing cooperation in political, economic, defence, energy, space and other sectors.
Xi’s presence is particularly significant as he arrived in India for his first visit in seven years and is scheduled to hold talks with Modi on Saturday. The meeting is expected to focus on bilateral ties and efforts to further stabilise India-China relations.
A key development ahead of the summit is that BRICS members have agreed on a joint declaration, according to sources cited by Reuters. The declaration is expected to condemn unilateral war without naming a specific country, reflecting efforts to bridge differences among members over the West Asia conflict.
BRICS now comprises 11 member countries — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. According to the Indian government, the grouping represents about 49.5 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade.
with inputs from PTI