Putin, Xi and Iran’s Pezeshkian arrive in New Delhi for a high-stakes BRICS summit as wars, trade tensions and rivalries test the bloc.
New Delhi is becoming the center of high-stakes global diplomacy as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian converge on India for the 2026 BRICS summit.
The leaders are gathering as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, strained U.S.-China relations and divisions within the expanded BRICS bloc put pressure on the group to demonstrate that it can act as a meaningful force in global affairs.
Putin, Xi and Pezeshkian Head to New Delhi
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, with the meeting taking place against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Putin’s arrival carries particular significance. The Russian president’s appearance in India is his first in-person attendance at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, giving Moscow an important diplomatic platform as it remains under extensive Western sanctions.
Xi’s presence is equally consequential as India and China attempt to stabilize relations after years of tension following the deadly 2020 border clashes.
Iranian President Pezeshkian is also attending as Tehran faces intense regional pressure amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran and Israel and disruptions to energy and shipping markets.
BRICS Faces a Major Unity Test
The summit comes as BRICS has expanded dramatically.
The bloc now has 11 members, representing nearly half of the world’s population and a significant share of global economic output. But its growing size has also brought competing interests and foreign-policy priorities.
Iran’s inclusion has become particularly important as the Middle East conflict creates divisions within the group.
The UAE, another BRICS member, has been directly affected by the regional confrontation, making it more difficult for the organization to reach a unified position on the crisis.
India Balances Russia, China and the West
For India, the summit represents a major diplomatic test.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to maintain strategic ties with Russia while simultaneously strengthening India’s relationship with the United States and other Western powers.
India also faces an increasingly important relationship with China.
Modi and Xi are expected to use the summit to continue efforts to stabilize bilateral relations, with issues including trade, border tensions and broader regional security likely to remain important.
Modi also held talks with Putin ahead of the summit, with the two leaders discussing energy, defense, trade and global conflicts. India and Russia have set a goal of increasing bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.
Dollar Dependence Is Another Major Issue
Economic reform is expected to be another major focus.
BRICS members have repeatedly discussed reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar and developing alternative payment mechanisms for trade.
The idea has gained additional attention as Western sanctions on Russia have pushed Moscow and its partners toward alternative financial arrangements.
However, experts caution that turning BRICS into a cohesive economic alternative to the Western-led financial system remains difficult because its members have vastly different economies and political interests.
Wars Put Pressure on the Summit
The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are likely to dominate diplomatic discussions.
Russia continues to face international pressure over its war in Ukraine, while the conflict involving Iran has created new risks for global energy supplies and shipping.
The war has already disrupted oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz, with crude prices rising above $100 a barrel, adding an economic dimension to the summit’s geopolitical challenges.
India is likely to push for dialogue and stability while attempting to avoid being drawn too deeply into competing geopolitical blocs.
New Delhi Becomes a Global Diplomatic Stage
The summit also highlights India’s growing role in global diplomacy.
With Putin, Xi and Pezeshkian among the most prominent attendees, New Delhi has become a meeting point for leaders whose relationships with Washington and one another vary dramatically.
India is seeking to use its BRICS chairmanship to strengthen ties with the Global South while promoting economic cooperation and a more multipolar international system.
The challenge will be turning that ambition into concrete agreements among countries that do not always share the same strategic goals.
A Defining Moment for BRICS
The 2026 BRICS summit arrives at a moment when the bloc is larger and more influential than ever — but also more divided.
Putin, Xi and Pezeshkian’s presence gives the New Delhi gathering considerable geopolitical weight, while Modi faces the difficult task of balancing India’s relationships with Russia, China, Iran and Western nations.
Whether BRICS can produce meaningful cooperation on trade, finance and global conflicts could determine how seriously the expanded bloc is taken in the years ahead.
For India, the summit is an opportunity to demonstrate its growing diplomatic influence. For BRICS, it is a test of whether an increasingly diverse coalition can find common ground at a time of extraordinary global tension.
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