Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence Friday, September 11, that the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi will produce "positive and meaningful discussions" on global issues, as world leaders began arriving in the Indian capital ahead of the two-day gathering.
What Modi Said
In a post on X, written in Hindi, Modi said: "In the coming days, leaders from around the world will gather for the BRICS Summit. We are confident that the summit will lead to positive and meaningful discussions on various issues, with a view to world welfare." Modi accompanied the message with a Sanskrit verse emphasizing the importance of cultivating relationships with virtuous people and engaging in dialogue and friendship guided by good faith.
The Basics: Dates, Location, and India's Role
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, marking the country's fourth chairship of the bloc. India's 2026 chairship theme is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," reflecting a stated focus on strengthening existing institutional achievements while placing development, sustainability, and innovation at the center of the agenda — alongside amplifying the aspirations of the Global South.
Putin's Arrival
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi early Friday, received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, accompanied by a high-level delegation. Modi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin later the same day, ahead of the formal two-day summit beginning Saturday. Reports also indicate Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a separate bilateral meeting on the summit's first day.
What's on the Agenda
According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, leaders are expected to exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on shared priorities while discussing global and regional matters of mutual concern. Reported discussion topics include strategic trade resilience, cross-border payment mechanisms, energy security, and conflict-resolution pathways tied to ongoing geopolitical tensions in both Eastern Europe and West Asia. Under India's chairship, specific initiatives reportedly under consideration include a BRICS Incubator Network, a Startup Innovation Fund, and a broader logistics and supply-chain cooperation framework aimed at deepening practical economic ties among member states.
A Summit Against a Tense Global Backdrop
The 2026 BRICS Summit convenes amid significant geopolitical strain. The ongoing US-Israel war against Iran has created friction within the expanded BRICS bloc itself, given the group's diverse membership and varying positions on the conflict. Compounding matters, disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz continue to raise alarm over global energy supplies and trade routes — issues that sit squarely within the summit's stated focus on energy security and trade resilience.
India's Diplomatic Balancing Act
Analysts note that India faces a genuinely difficult diplomatic task hosting this year's summit: bringing together a bloc that includes countries with markedly different positions on the Iran conflict, Russia's role in Ukraine, and broader global trade tensions, while still working toward common, actionable outcomes. Modi's emphasis on "meaningful discussions" and "world welfare" in his pre-summit messaging is widely read as setting a deliberately conciliatory, cooperation-focused tone for an event convening amid unusually sharp global divisions.
What's Next
With Putin already in New Delhi and Xi expected to arrive for his own bilateral meeting with Modi, the summit's formal proceedings begin Saturday, September 12, running through Sunday, September 13. Given the scale of global tension the gathering is convening against, the coming two days will offer a real test of whether India's chairship can produce concrete, substantive outcomes rather than simply diplomatic goodwill. For continuing live coverage, see the full News24 live coverage.