BRICS leaders will gather in New Delhi this weekend as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, alongside mounting US-China tensions, test the expanded bloc’s ability to present a united front.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Indian capital on Friday ahead of the two-day summit, which begins on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are also expected to attend, alongside leaders from the other members of the 11-nation grouping.
India, the host country, is seeking to balance its longstanding relationships with Russia and China with its increasingly close partnerships with the United States, Europe and other Western powers.
The meeting comes as BRICS attempts to exert greater influence over the global economic and political order. The group has grown from its original members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to represent about half the world’s population and a substantial share of global energy, resources and economic output.
Its expansion has also made agreement more difficult. Members have competing political priorities, regional rivalries and contrasting relationships with Washington, making it harder to adopt firm common positions on international conflicts.
BRICS summit puts divisions over Iran and Ukraine in focus
The war in Ukraine and the conflict involving Iran are expected to expose those differences. Iran is a member of BRICS, while Russia remains one of its most influential powers and China maintains close relations with both countries.
India has continued to work with Moscow on energy and defence while deepening its strategic relationship with the US. New Delhi has generally called for dialogue and diplomacy over Ukraine rather than aligning itself openly with either side.
The Middle East presents a similar challenge. China and Russia have supported Iran in international forums, while India has adopted a more cautious position. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both connected to the expanded grouping, have their own tensions with Tehran.
The divisions were underlined in May, when BRICS foreign ministers ended a meeting in New Delhi without issuing a joint statement. India said members had expressed differing views on the situation in the Middle East, including over Gaza and security in the Red Sea.
Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the grouping would struggle to mediate in conflicts because “the Global South is not a homogeneous entity”.
India and China will also use the summit to manage their fragile diplomatic thaw. Relations deteriorated sharply after border tensions escalated in 2020, although the two countries have since taken steps to ease the strain.
Mr Xi’s visit will be his first to India in seven years and could provide an opportunity for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, there are few indications that the improvement in political relations has yet translated into a significant recovery in trade and business ties.
For New Delhi, the summit is also a chance to ensure BRICS does not become an explicitly anti-Western alliance. India has strengthened links with the US, Israel, Japan, Australia and Europe while maintaining its close partnership with Russia.
“India will project its strategic autonomy by being part of a non-West grouping but also finds it useful to engage with China, its primary strategic rival,” Mr Donthi said.
The bloc has called for reform of global financial institutions and greater representation for developing countries. It has also discussed increasing trade in local currencies and developing payment systems that would reduce reliance on Western financial institutions and the US dollar.
But its influence will depend on whether its members can turn broad ambitions into practical agreements. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across New Delhi, with roadblocks, checkpoints and traffic restrictions introduced ahead of the summit.
Authorities have declared a public holiday to limit movement and ease security operations, while urging residents to work from home where possible. The measures reflect the scale of the gathering, but also the logistical pressures surrounding a summit whose members remain far from agreement on some of the world’s most urgent crises.
