BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi is preparing to host the BRICS annual summit on September 12 and 13, with India holding the group’s chair at a time when its members have very different foreign policy priorities.
Getting the leaders into the same room is only one part of the task. The difficult job for India will come when talks move towards a joint declaration that all members must accept. India and China will attend the summit as major BRICS members while their border dispute is still unresolved. Russia will come with its own set of tensions with Western countries, while Iran also has a complicated relationship with the West. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has interests in the Middle East that do not always match those of Iran. That mix gives India a difficult diplomatic assignment. Each country has its own priorities, partnerships and interests, and those differences can affect even the most basic language in a joint statement. India’s role as host and chair gives New Delhi the responsibility of steering talks towards areas where members can find common ground. Even a broad statement can require lengthy negotiations when several countries have different interests.
India will therefore have to carefully manage the wording of the final document. The summit will bring together 11 countries at one table, including India, China, Russia, Iran and the UAE. A joint declaration at the end of the summit will need agreement from all 11 countries.
