ASPI Experts Preview the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) experts Farwa Aamer and Akshay Mathur preview the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. 
Farwa Aamer — Director of South Asia Initiatives, ASPI, New York
"As the BRICS Summit convenes at a time when members remain divided on key geopolitical challenges, all eyes are on whether there could be a joint statement and consensus on contentious issues like the Iran war and U.S. sanctions threats that put members at odds with one another. 
India, as the host, will aim to champion its idea of a more multipolar world— being careful not to paint the bloc as an anti-Western platform. Crucially, not only does India have a trade deal in the works with Washington, but President Xi will also be heading to Washington soon after his BRICS participation. So how the group addresses concerns tied to the U.S. will be critical. While BRICS is an opportunity for political signaling amid strained ties, India is unlikely to pursue any outright anti-West stance.
The sidelines will be in the spotlight. India’s strategic autonomy and hedging will be in action as PM Modi engages with Presidents Putin, Xi, and Pezeshkian. Modi’s meeting today with Putin served as another reminder of how India continues to value ties with Russia despite this being a friction point for Washington. Again, not a pivot away from the United States, but a signal that India maintains diverse partnerships and options.
Xi's visit to India signals Beijing's interest in continuing the cautious resetting of ties with New Delhi. Both India and China have realized that economic interests can only be pursued if their shared border remains stable. We could see further progress on border stabilization efforts and discussions on trade, especially rare earths access. Historical distrust, however, defines the contours of the bilateral ties, so any progress will be welcomed but won't flip the script overnight.
Iran will also seek to gain support at the BRICS amid the U.S.’ “Operation Economic Outcast” as tensions escalate once again. For Iran, the support seen at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit earlier this month was taken as a win, and it would want to get the same backing at the BRICS. But this might be a trickier pursuit with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in BRICS. Both countries got engulfed in the U.S.-Iran war, Saudi-Houthi tensions remain high, and Iran has launched a fresh threat to the U.S. energy assets in the Gulf, making the dynamic extremely sensitive as the leaders come face to face."
Akshay Mathur — Senior Director, ASPI Delhi
"India's presidency of the 2026 BRICS has demonstrated its measured, confident, and calculated approach to world affairs. India has managed to steer the annual agenda through a tumultuous conflict in West Asia, reaffirming that 'consensus' remains the group's core principle and practice.
This commitment to dialogue is particularly significant given that PM Modi has publicly called for diplomacy to resolve conflicts and achieve international peace. The participation of ten member countries, eleven observers, three multilateral institutions, two multilateral banks, and four regional plurilaterals goes to show that the group continues to grow in convening power. 
Questions about the group's cohesiveness are natural given the group's broad-based agenda, geopolitical rivalries within, and strategic relations with the West. Yet, BRICS’ 20-year history has demonstrated the group's durability. The progress, albeit slow for the advocates of the group, has been steady, palpable, and measurable. The four hundred meetings in 2026, covering over thirty ministerial summits, show breadth of work in 2026.
However, the depth is visible in the systems-level inter-operability being established by central banks for payment, clearing and settlement, including for digital currencies, and the promise of new financial instruments such as multilateral guarantees being explored by New Development Bank to mobilize private capital.
The Chair's Statement issued after BRICS foreign ministers meeting in May 2026 acknowledged the "differing views among some members" on the conflict in the West Asia. Yet, despite rivalries, so far, each member has given their full support to the group, evidenced by the participation in official meetings, public statements and the confirmed attendance of leaders at the New Delhi Summit. Their joint commitment to multilateralism and practical suggestions for reform of the UN and WTO have remained high on the agenda. 
Looking ahead, the BRICS Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework — a voluntary, consensus-based framework to strengthen cross-sector transport logistics resilience and sustainability — will be an important initiative to follow. It seems to be motivated by the disruption to energy and goods supply chains during the conflict in West Asia. A joint agreement for future contingencies seems particularly appropriate, timely, and valuable."