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BRICS leaders are gathering in the Indian capital, New Delhi, for a two-day summit, with the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict hanging over talks that also cover energy security, trade, and the wider economic fallout from the conflicts.
The meeting brings together the bloc’s 11 members, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The bloc says its members now account for about 49.5% of the world’s population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade.
China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian are among the key figures at the venue, alongside leaders from South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is also attending.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is also attending. Brazil is represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, while Saudi Arabia is represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
The first day includes a closed-door session focused on "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism," followed by a visit to the Bharat Innovates Exhibition, a tree-planting ceremony, and a gala dinner hosted BY Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The second day will feature an open session titled "Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth." The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement.
Xi’s trip to New Delhi carries significance beyond the summit itself. It is his first visit to neighboring India since 2019 and comes as the two nuclear-armed countries try to move past years of strained relations.
Ties have gradually picked up since a deadly military clash along their disputed Tibetan border in 2020, with flights, visas and high-level contacts restored. Beijing says it is ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with New Delhi while working through their differences.
The border dispute, however, remains unresolved. Both sides still maintain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile) high-altitude frontier.
Xi is due to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi face to face later Saturday, according to New Delhi’s foreign ministry. A widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry also continue to weigh on relations.
The visit has drawn opposition from Tibetans in India. Dozens protested in New Delhi on Friday, waving placards against Xi.
Modi met Putin on Friday ahead of the summit, after the Russian president last visited India in December 2025.
India has turned to Russia to help deal with the energy crisis caused by the Iran war, even as Moscow continues its war in Ukraine and Washington and other Western capitals put pressure on New Delhi over its relationship with Russia.
Pezeshkian was also in New Delhi on Friday, where he held talks with Modi and warned that pressure on Iran "has reached a critical and dangerous stage" following the "military aggression by the United States and Israel."
BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers. Its membership has since expanded, bringing Iran into the same grouping as Saudi Arabia and the UAE despite their sharply different positions on the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.
The wider BRICS framework also includes partner countries such as Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The New Delhi summit follows the previous BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 2025, as the bloc faces a tougher task of finding common ground among its expanded membership after its foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement at their May meeting in New Delhi.
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