New Delhi will become a centre of international diplomacy soon, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the 18th BRICS leaders’ summit on September 12 and 13, 2026. The two-day summit at Bharat Mandapam will bring together the leaders of the growing BRICS group and will cover global governance, trade, energy security, technology and multilateral cooperation.
India will be leading the BRICS chairship this year in the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Security.” South Africa has confirmed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s participation, while Russia has confirmed President Vladimir Putin’s participation.
PM Narendra Modi to host expanded BRICS Gathering.
Narendra Modi will lead India’s delegation and host the visiting leaders. The 2026 summit will take place as BRICS expanded to 11 full members of the group - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia - along with the other five nations.
The summit will begin with BRICS leaders discussing their plans on September 13 before partner-country and outreach leaders join the programme. A family picture, innovation exhibition, joint tree plantation and gala dinner hosted by Modi will also be part of the programme.
President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit, although reports on September 10 said Beijing has yet to formally confirm his participation. If he goes to New Delhi it will be his first visit to India since 2019 and could be a prime opportunity for Modi and Xi to talk about relations.
China has been looking forward to the visit of China’s president, Xi, as it tries to smooth relations between India and China after years of tension.
Vladimir Putin to Attend
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among the participants at the New Delhi summit. He is also expected to meet Modi separately before the main BRICS talks and will be talking defence, energy, technology and trade.
Other BRICS Leaders
The expanded BRICS membership now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Indonesia. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also confirmed his participation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to be present in New Delhi, while Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is among the leaders who are preparing for the summit in New Delhi and also heading to the meeting. The presence of Saudi Arabia is less clear but it is not yet clear that it is actually participating in the most recent reports as per the latest reports.
Key Issues on BRICS Agenda.
The summit is expected to address global governance reform, food and energy security, trade, investment, technology, financial cooperation and supply-chain resilience. Western Asian tensions and other geopolitical conflicts are also likely to shape discussions.
So for India the summit is a time to build its leadership in the Global South in partnership with China and Russia.
