Wars, global crises may be the main agenda of the 18th BRICS summit

In this picture released on September 10, 2026, the flags of the countries are placed amid preparations for the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: X/@MEEAIndia via PTI

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive here on Friday (11 September 2026) morning to attend the 18th BRICS summit to be held here this weekend, Russian sources said.

Mr Putin is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hours after his arrival, where the two sides are expected to discuss defense and other related matters. President Putin is one of the top representatives of BRICS member countries and partner countries to come to the two-day summit.

Several heads of multilateral organizations are also expected to attend the BRICS summit, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Also read | BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE Updates – 11 September 2026

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that in addition to President Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are among the top leaders expected to arrive in Delhi for the summit, which is taking place against the backdrop of a global crisis in energy and agricultural supply chains in Asia and Ukraine.

The conflict in West Asia, which began in February when Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran, is likely to be one of the main topics of the summit, especially since Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to attend. This will be President Pezeshkian’s first visit to India since he took over after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in 2024.

Mr. Pezeshkian met Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on August 31. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since the start of the war. Differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be closely watched as both sides exchange harsh messages over continued hostilities in the region. The UAE will be represented by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ministry said. The Gulf Cooperation Council, which is also in the spotlight due to hostilities in the Persian Gulf region, will be represented by Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister of Bahrain.

Among the founding members of BRICS – launched in 2009 with the first summit hosted by Russia – South Africa will be represented by Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazil will be represented by Mauro Vieira. Among the founding members of BRICS, President Putin is the longest-serving leader.

The BRICS summit is also to be attended by Indonesian President Subianto, who was the guest of honor at the Republic Day parade here on January 26, 2025. Among the ten BRICS partner countries, prominent leaders will be Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will participate in the summit as the chairman of ASEAN, and the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will participate in the event as the president of the Eurasian Economic Union.

In addition to Mr Guterres, the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Trade Organization director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will attend the summit as a representative of the New Development Bank. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to attend the summit, but Bangladesh will not be represented at the event, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kobir confirmed.

Published – 10 Sep 2026 22:29 IST