18th BRICS Summit begins in New Delhi

The 18th BRICS Summit began at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming leaders of member and partner countries for the two-day high-level gathering.India is hosting the summit under its 2026 BRICS Chairship with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The year also marks 20 years of BRICS since its establishment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are among the leaders attending the summit.Nine BRICS partner countries and invited nations are also taking part. The leaders are discussing inclusive global governance, multilateralism, trade, development, technology, food and energy security, and other shared priorities.The first session is focused on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism,” with the New Delhi Declaration expected to be adopted. The summit will also feature the Bharat Innovates 2026 exhibition and a cultural programme.On Sunday, partner countries will join the main session on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability for inclusive global growth. India assumed the BRICS chairship from Brazil on January 1, 2026.