BRICS Summit in India: New Delhi Set to Host World Leaders
New Delhi is all set to receive the world's top-notch leaders in September, as India is set to host the 2026 BRICS Summit scheduled for September 12 and 13. The summit is going to witness the participation of the leaders of the emerging nations, and the summit assumes significance amid the prevailing state of affairs in international politics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed his attendance at the summit. The summit is also likely to include Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is also likely to attend the summit. The summit becomes highly significant for India in that it marks the return of the BRICS group to India after a period of five years, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
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| Image Credit: Outlookindia |
New Delhi Gets Ready for the BRICS Summit
The 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit is set to be held in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on September 12 & 13, 2026. India officially took over the BRICS presidency on January 1, and thus this will be the fourth time that New Delhi holds the chairmanship.
India's choice of theme for its BRICS chairmanship is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". This theme signifies the approach adopted by New Delhi towards practical cooperation in spheres having direct economic and human significance.
The summit is also likely to impact life in the capital. Government offices in Delhi will be closed on September 11 due to the arrangements, while the Delhi government has announced a public holiday for its offices and PSUs. Security checks, VIP movements, and traffic restrictions are also anticipated on the vital routes and at the venue of the summit.
Who Is Expected to Attend?
Another important event at the BRICS Summit in India is the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be visiting India for the second time in one year. He had earlier visited India in December 2025 at the India-Russia Annual Summit.
As per Kremlin, President Putin will meet Prime Minister Modi bilaterally on September 11, which is one day prior to the actual commencement of the summit. It is expected that this will be an ideal occasion to deliberate on the strategic relations that already exist between the two nations.
Also scheduled to attend the summit is Chinese President Xi Jinping. The participation of President Xi will make the meeting more significant, especially due to the fact that India and China still have to deal with a complicated relationship despite being part of the same multilateral body.
The other key participant whose presence is anticipated is that of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The timing of his visit is crucial considering that the West Asian region is still extremely touchy regarding the conflict.
Apart from that, India has also extended an invitation to the leadership of countries outside the BRICS cluster. The Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit India because he is currently the chairman of BIMSTEC.
Key Issues India Wants to Focus On
The agenda of the BRICS Summit in India is set to go beyond the normal political discussions. India’s assumption of the presidency has seen the country focus on pragmatic cooperation in areas like trade, agriculture, health, energy, digitalisation, and climate change.
The attention follows the May 2026 foreign ministers’ meeting of BRICS, which failed to come up with a joint statement due to disagreements among the members. This presents the issue that BRICS faces; although the members have increased substantially in number, they do not always agree on international matters.
BRICS presently comprises 11 full members, namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. There are also some partner countries in BRICS.
What the BRICS Summit Means for India
In this context, hosting the conference for India provides an opportunity to consolidate its status as a key player among the emerging economies. The event allows the government of New Delhi to have talks with several significant nations on a single platform.
This factor increases the significance of the event. With the BRICS having completed 20 years of existence and the summit coming back to India after five years, the world's eyes will definitely be on New Delhi.
But for the people living in Delhi, it will bring a few concrete changes as well. The security measures and restrictions on movement and traffic will definitely pose some problems for them.
In conclusion, it can be stated that the BRICS summit in India will be one of the significant diplomatic events in India since the world’s diplomatic landscape is changing.