In the modern story of a world that keeps renegotiating its own order, a group of emerging nations gathers in New Delhi to test whether its growing weight can become a steadying force rather than a source of rivalry. Under a host seeking to present the bloc as a complement to a fractured global economy, leaders including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin meet amid wars, a closed Strait of Hormuz and shifting American tariffs. Whether these many voices can agree on a single declaration, especially over West Asia, will reveal how much unity such a coalition can truly hold.
India Casts BRICS as Global South Growth Engine as Xi, Putin Head to New Delhi Summit
A summit meant to end in a declaration, with consensus still unsettled
Mark
Why does Xi's attendance stand out?
Mimi
It's his first visit to India in seven years. In a summit with this many leaders, that is the detail officials and readers will notice first.
Mark
What is India trying to do with the summit?
Mimi
Present BRICS as a complement to global growth, centered on food, energy and supply chain security, while trade tensions and wars strain the economy.
Mark
Who else is in the room?
Mimi
Putin, Pezeshkian, Ramaphosa, Prabowo, El-Sisi, Anwar Ibrahim, Mohamed bin Zayed, plus Guterres and heads of the WTO, WHO, NDB and AIIB.
Luke
That's the list of who is expected. Not everyone sends a top leader: Brazil, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Uganda are sending lower-ranking representatives.
Mark
And the bloc's weight?
Mimi
Eleven economies, about 49.5 per cent of world population, 40 per cent of GDP and 26 per cent of trade.
Luke
Worth noting those are the figures as reported; the source doesn't say who calculated them.
Mark
What is the open question?
Mimi
Whether there will be a joint statement. Iran and the UAE still disagree over West Asia, and decisions need consensus.
Luke
Right, and that is unknown. The declaration is scheduled, but nothing confirms the members have agreed on its text.
Il Polso
- Xi Jinping's first India visit in seven years arrives while the Russia-Ukraine war and the Hormuz blockade press on the global economy.
- Trade tensions sparked by US tariff policy are pushing emerging economies to look for their own shelter and common ground.
- India is steering the bloc toward food, energy and supply chain security, hoping to show it can cushion shocks for the Global South.
- Iran and the UAE remain at odds over West Asia, and because BRICS decides by consensus, the New Delhi Declaration hangs in doubt.
In the modern story of a world that keeps renegotiating its own order, a group of emerging nations gathers in New Delhi to test whether its growing weight can become a steadying force rather than a source of rivalry. Under a host seeking to present the bloc as a complement to a fractured global economy, leaders including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin meet amid wars, a closed Strait of Hormuz and shifting American tariffs. Whether these many voices can agree on a single declaration, especially over West Asia, will reveal how much unity such a coalition can truly hold.
On Saturday afternoon, leaders from across the developing world will gather behind closed doors at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi for the opening session of a two-day BRICS summit. Titled 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism', the meeting is meant to show that the bloc can act as a complementary engine for global growth, not a rival to anyone.
India's officials say the focus is on the needs that matter most to developing nations: food security, energy stability and resilient supply chains. They point to a world under strain, with the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, along with US trade and tariff policies, creating heavy economic headwinds.
The guest list is long. China's Xi Jinping is coming, his first trip to India in seven years, along with Vladimir Putin, Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and many others. Regional bodies and global institutions, from ASEAN and the African Union to the United Nations and the WTO, will also be represented.
The bloc has grown to eleven major emerging economies, together home to about half the world's people and roughly 40 per cent of global output. Yet the outcome is still unsettled. The summit aims to release the New Delhi Declaration, but with two days to go, it was unclear whether members had agreed on a joint statement. Iran and the UAE still disagree over West Asia, and BRICS works by consensus. What the declaration says, and whether it appears at all, will show how far this gathering can truly speak with one voice.
On Saturday afternoon at 2:35, leaders from across the developing world will sit down behind closed doors at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi for the opening session of a two-day BRICS summit. The session is titled 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism', and it begins a meeting India hopes will present the bloc as a complementary engine for global growth.
Top Indian officials said on Thursday that New Delhi is steering the grouping toward what they call the core developmental priorities of the Global South: food security, energy stability and resilient supply chains. They described the aim as addressing critical vulnerabilities at a time when trade disputes and geopolitical realignments are creating economic headwinds. The backdrop they cited is the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration's trade and tariff policies.
The guest list is large. China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will attend, his first trip to India in seven years. Also expected are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto, Egypt's Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. Brazil will send Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Uzbekistan's Deputy PM Jamshid Kuchkarov and Uganda's Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo will represent their countries.
Regional blocs will be present too. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will speak for ASEAN, Burundi's President Évariste Ndayishimiye for the African Union, and Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the Eurasian Economic Union. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank chief Zou Jiayi will attend as well.
The bloc's weight is part of the case India is making. BRICS began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and expanded in 2024 to add Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. It now brings together 11 major emerging economies, representing about 49.5 per cent of the world's population, around 40 per cent of global GDP and roughly 26 per cent of global trade. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became partner countries last year.
India took up its fourth chairship on January 1, 2026, having held it before in 2012, 2016 and 2021. Its theme is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', which it frames as a people-centric approach rooted in 'humanity first'. Over the year, more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in over 25 Indian cities. Under the resilience pillar, work has covered health, agriculture, food, energy, disaster risk reduction and supply chains. Trade, investment, connectivity and high technology are also on the agenda.
The schedule is detailed. After the closed session, leaders will tour the Bharat Innovates Exhibition, opening at 4:25 pm. At 5:05 pm they will gather on the Bharat Mandapam lawns for a family photo and a joint tree planting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts a gala dinner at 7:30 pm. On Sunday, leaders from member states, partner nations and outreach invitees arrive from 9:55 am, with an official group photo at 10:35 am and an opening session at 10:50 am titled 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth'.
What remains unsettled is the outcome. The summit is meant to end with the release of the New Delhi Declaration, but with two days to go it was unclear whether members had agreed on a joint statement. Iran and the UAE still differ over the West Asia crisis, and BRICS works by consensus. Whether the declaration appears, and what it says on West Asia, will be the clearest measure of the summit.
Citazioni salienti
India is steering BRICS as a complementary platform to champion the Global South's core developmental priorities.— Top Indian officials, speaking Thursday
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