18th BRICS Summit 2026: Who are the world leaders attending in New Delhi, India’s role, and more

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, on October 23, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters

With the highly anticipated BRICS summit approaching, the world is closely watching how the event will unfold. The BRICS group of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will hold its 18th heads-of-state and government summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

The summit is set to take place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, as India assumed the role of Chair of BRICS on January 1, 2026. Previously, India held this role in 2012, 2016, and 2021.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the world leaders who will arrive in New Delhi for the BRICS summit. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also widely expected to attend the BRICS summit before visiting the U.S. for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump later this month.

BRICS expanded to 11 members with the inclusion of Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Ethiopia in 2024, and Indonesia in 2025.

The UAE will be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Brazil will be represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, Mauro Vieira.

South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, NDB President Dilma Rousseff, Nigerian Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye will also participate in the summit.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Vietnam Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will also be in Delhi to attend the BRICS summit.

Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mario Lubetkin, and Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will also attend the summit.

Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Foreign Affairs Minister of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov, Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will also be part of the summit.

Additionally, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also participate in the 18th BRICS Summit.

As outlined in India’s presidency documents, the summit is centred around core values such as inclusive growth, shared responsibility, practical cooperation, and a people centric appoach. The theme of ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability’ reflects a humanity-first approach articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2025 Rio Summit.

India is heading to the summit with a focus on strengthening supply chains, cooperation in trade, cross-border payments, technology and artificial intelligence, energy, development finance and global governance reform. Collaborations in agriculture, innovation, and health are expected to be highlighted, as indicated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar when he presented India’s priority areas at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting. Discussions on clean energy and sustainable growth are also expected to be on the agenda. Cross-border payments are expected to gain significant focus in New Delhi, as India advocates for increased utilisation of national currencies in trade.

As the Chair of the BRICS Summit, India has the responsibility of facilitating discussions and coordinating negotiations among member nations. This marks a crucial juncture for India, given the current geopolitical landscape marked by tensions and conflicts in areas like Iran and Ukraine.

Moreover, India's position as a leader in BRICS intersects with its memberships in other prominent groupings such as the Quad and the G20. This means that India's actions and leadership style during the summit will be closely scrutinised by not only BRICS members but also by the international community, including the United States. While discussions around increasing the use of national currencies in trade are likely to be received positively within the BRICS framework, these topics may not resonate well with the U.S., especially considering its economic sanctions on countries like Iran and Russia. Thus, India will need to navigate these complexities carefully to maintain its diplomatic relationships while pushing forward the agenda of the BRICS Summit.

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