BRICS Summit: World Leaders gather in India for 18th meeting

Leaders and senior officials from BRICS member and partner countries are arriving in New Delhi, India, ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit scheduled for September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam.

The two-day summit will bring together leaders of the 11-member BRICS bloc to discuss global economic, political and development issues. The current members are Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already arrived in New Delhi ahead of the summit, where he is expected to hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also scheduled to arrive in the Indian capital, with his visit attracting attention because of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Other major leaders expected at the summit include Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

India, which assumed the BRICS chairmanship in January 2026, is hosting the summit under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive on Saturday around 12:15 p.m., marking his first visit to India in almost seven years.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo have arrived in New Delhi.

The key summit schedule shows the event will open with a closed-door session on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” for core members.

Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Tinubu at the BRICS Summit, during which he will join other leaders to discuss global issues.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will represent the UAE.

Brazil will be represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, Mauro Vieira.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye will participate in the summit.

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

Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mario Lubetkin, and World Health Organisation’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are expected to attend the summit.

Others are 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.

Under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” the 18th BRICS Summit brings together 11 member nations, representing roughly 49 per cent of the world’s population and 40 per cent of global GDP, alongside 10 BRICS partner countries.

The key summit schedule shows the event will open with a closed-door session on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” for core members.

Leaders will tour the Bharat Innovates Exhibition, participate in a joint tree-planting ceremony, and attend a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will also hold several bilateral meetings throughout the day.

On Sunday, PM Modi will welcome partner country leaders and outreach invitees for a broader session focused on “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”.

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