Leaders of the Brics nations are gathering in New Delhi on Saturday for talks aimed at strengthening trade and investment ties and giving emerging economies a greater voice on the world stage, as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East test the expanding bloc’s unity.
Issued on: 12/09/2026 - 09:24
3 min Reading time
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and leaders from the other Brics member states. The summit comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, with the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and continued rivalry between the US and China presenting challenges for a grouping whose members have sometimes sharply differing foreign policy priorities. Security has been stepped up across the Indian capital, with thousands of police and paramilitary personnel deployed around the summit venue and elsewhere in New Delhi. Traffic restrictions and diversions have also been imposed. Brics was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining four years later. It has since grown to 11 members, accounting for about half of the world’s population and a significant share of global economic output. The grouping has increasingly sought to position itself as a platform for emerging and developing economies, while pressing for reforms to international institutions to give countries outside the West greater representation.
