New Delhi is preparing to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12 and 13, bringing Prime Minister Narendra Modi together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the expanded grouping. The summit places India at the centre of some of the most important geopolitical and economic conversations of the moment.
For New Delhi, the timing is significant. The BRICS grouping has expanded to 11 members, representing nearly half of the world’s population and around 40% of global GDP. Yet its growing size has also created competing interests, particularly over the conflict involving Iran and the UAE. Reaching consensus on major geopolitical issues could therefore be more difficult than when BRICS was smaller.
The Modi-Putin meeting on Friday is expected to focus on trade, economic cooperation and energy, with Russia remaining an important supplier of crude oil to India. Modi is also expected to meet Xi, making the summit an opportunity to consolidate the gradual improvement in India-China relations following efforts to stabilise their disputed border.
The economic agenda may ultimately prove more achievable than a unified geopolitical position. BRICS is considering initiatives involving startups, innovation, logistics and supply-chain cooperation, areas where practical collaboration could deliver measurable benefits despite political differences among members.
India’s larger challenge is to prevent BRICS from becoming defined solely as an anti-Western platform. New Delhi has maintained close relationships with Russia and other BRICS members while simultaneously engaging the United States and Europe. That balancing strategy gives India influence—but also makes its diplomatic choices more closely watched.
The 2026 summit is therefore not simply another leaders’ meeting. It is a test of whether an increasingly diverse BRICS can turn its growing economic weight into practical cooperation without being overwhelmed by its members’ geopolitical disagreements.
