New Delhi is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, 2026. Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin have both arrived in the capital for the event, along with leaders from across Asia, Africa, West Asia and Latin America. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the two day summit at Bharat Mandapam, as India holds the BRICS presidency.
The summit matters because it brings together the world’s major emerging economies at a moment of sharp global tension. Trade disputes, the West Asia conflict and the war in Ukraine have all made consensus harder to build. India now has to balance ties with Russia and China on one side, and Western partners on the other.
What is the BRICS Summit and why does it matter?
BRICS was formed in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined in 2010, turning BRIC into BRICS. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined in 2024, while Indonesia became a full member soon after. The grouping now speaks for a large share of the world’s population and economic output.
The BRICS Summit is the annual meeting where heads of state set the agenda for the bloc. This year, the gathering also marks 20 years since BRICS foreign ministers first met, in 2006.
Who is attending the BRICS Summit in Delhi?
The two day meeting at Bharat Mandapam will bring together the expanded 11 member grouping, partner countries and invited leaders for talks on trade, investment, energy, food security, supply chains, multilateralism and global governance.
Confirmed and expected attendees include:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin
- Chinese President Xi Jinping
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
- Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Xi Jinping’s trip is significant on its own. It marks his first visit to India in seven years, coming as both nations work to ease years of border tension. Reports suggest his delegation could number around 400 officials, more than double the fewer than 200 who travelled with him in 2019. The Chinese foreign ministry has said China attaches great importance to and actively participates in BRICS cooperation, and supports India as the current chair.
How is Delhi preparing security for the BRICS Summit?
Security agencies have rolled out a large, multi layered operation ahead of the BRICS Summit. Delhi Police has put in place a multi-layered security plan, with around 15,000 personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces to be deployed across the national capital.
Manish Kumar Agrawal, Special Commissioner of Police, Protective and Security Division, Delhi Police, said on September 10, 2026, that arrangements are meant to protect dignitaries with least disruption to ordinary citizens. “We have made elaborate bandobast by ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public,” he said.
Key security measures include:
- Coverage of the airport, hotels and the summit venue
- A multi-layered security grid around Bharat Mandapam and hotels housing foreign delegates
- Anti-drone systems activated to track possible aerial threats
- Enhanced security cover within roughly 5 kilometres of Bharat Mandapam
- Traffic restrictions running from September 10 to about September 14
- Coordination meetings with neighbouring states to track vehicle and people movement
India’s elite counter-terrorism force is also on standby. The National Security Guard has stepped up preparedness under operation BRICS Kavach, a multi-layered security arrangement for the high-profile event. The force has been running mock drills focused on anti-terrorism response, hostage rescue and helicopter slithering, a tactical descent technique used by commandos.
What Do the BRICS Summit Logo and Theme Mean?
India unveiled its BRICS chairship logo and theme on January 13, 2026. The lotus sits at the centre of the design. It is India’s national flower and represents the country’s civilisational identity and growth from adversity. Inside the lotus is a Namaste gesture, which symbolises respect, dialogue and cooperation. The five coloured petals represent the founding BRICS nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The chairship theme is Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. It was inspired by the vision of “Humanity First” and a people centric approach. This is India’s fourth time chairing BRICS, after 2012, 2016 and 2021.
What is on the agenda at this BRICS Summit?
The summit opens with a closed door leaders’ session on Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism. From there, discussions are expected to cover startups, innovation, resilient supply chains, green energy, technology and greater use of national currencies in trade.
India appears to be steering the bloc away from grand new institutions. Instead, officials are building towards a package of practical agreements covering trade, payments, supply chains, MSMEs, technology, health, agriculture and energy. Over the course of its chairship, India has hosted more than 350 meetings and high level engagements in over 25 Indian cities.
Bilateral talks will run alongside the formal sessions. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Xi Jinping’s visit is being watched closely as both countries try to normalise trade ties after years of tension.
Will the West Asia conflict disrupt the BRICS declaration?
India’s biggest challenge is holding the bloc together on paper. This is not a new problem. At the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on May 14 and 15, 2026, member states could not agree on a joint declaration. India issued a Chair’s Statement and Outcome Document instead, and one section openly acknowledged differing views on West Asia.
The problem stems from BRICS expansion itself. The bloc now includes Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, countries with sharply different positions on the West Asia crisis. Heading into the Delhi summit, Russian officials have acknowledged difficult negotiations, while Brazilian reporting has raised doubts about a strong final declaration.
India is trying to thread the needle with careful language. Officials are expected to seek wording centred on dialogue and diplomacy, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the uninterrupted movement of shipping through international waterways, rather than language that forces members to back one side. The Ukraine conflict is likely to receive similar treatment, with language that acknowledges differing national positions while favouring peaceful settlement.
What role will the UN Chief play at the BRICS Summit?
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Delhi on September 10, 2026, ahead of the summit. He has been invited to address the Open Session on September 13 on the theme Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability, Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.
According to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, speaking at a UN press briefing in New York, Guterres is expected to say that today’s economic, demographic and geopolitical realities are not those of 1945, and that countries at the summit speak for that changing reality. He is also expected to argue that multipolarity can help bring balance to global systems, but this requires reform of institutions including the Bretton Woods system and the Security Council.
Security Council reform has long been on India’s wish list. India has been seeking a permanent seat on the Council as part of its campaign for comprehensive reform of the UN’s top decision making body. Guterres is also expected to meet Prime Minister Modi and hold bilateral meetings with other leaders attending the summit.
What does the BRICS Summit mean for India and the world?
For India, the BRICS Summit is both an opportunity and a test. Analysts note that India’s diplomatic argument has not been that it must choose between the West and the non-West, but that it should retain the freedom to work with both. The Delhi summit will show how far that balancing act can stretch.
Beyond the formal sessions, the city itself is gearing up for its guests. Preparations for the summit have spread well beyond Bharat Mandapam. Officials have activated additional capacity at Delhi’s airport ahead of the rush of VVIP flights, and three Russian military aircraft landed at Noida’s new international airport this week as part of pre summit arrangements. Traffic advisories have covered dozens of roads since motorcade rehearsals began on September 9, with routes to the airport diverted for hours at a stretch. In Old Delhi, traders in Chandni Chowk have also been sprucing up their shops, hoping some of the world’s most powerful leaders and their delegations get a taste of the city’s food and culture during their stay.
As the BRICS Summit gets underway on September 12, the outcome will be watched closely, both for what leaders agree on and for what they choose to leave unresolved.
1 thought on “BRICS Summit 2026: Xi Jinping, Putin Land in Delhi as India Hosts 18th Leaders’ Meet”