BRICS Leaders Gather in New Delhi Amid Global Tensions and Internal Splits
12 sources across 8 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
- Hindustan Times
- G1
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Tempo English
- The Jakarta Post
- Infobae
- The Daily Star
- South China Morning Post
- Al Jazeera
- Al-Monitor
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Leaders of the BRICS nations are meeting in New Delhi for the 18th annual summit starting September 12. The gathering includes Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The summit takes place against a backdrop of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as disruptions to global trade and energy markets. A primary focus of the meeting is the cautious thaw in relations between India and China, marked by President Xi's first visit to India in seven years following the 2020 border clashes in Ladakh.
Agenda items for the summit include the reform of international institutions, the reduction of dependence on the U.S. dollar, and the development of the BRICS Pay System to enable cross border settlements. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss strengthening their strategic partnership. During a BRICS business forum event, Putin accused Western powers of attempting to regain economic leadership through illegal restrictions and attacks on industrial facilities. Meanwhile, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in New Delhi to participate as a full member, a status Indonesia attained in January 2025.
Despite the official goal of unity, the bloc faces significant internal challenges. Members are divided over the conflict between Iran and the UAE, and there are differing views on the purpose of the group. Some members view BRICS as a geopolitical counterweight to the West, while others see it primarily as a forum for economic cooperation and reform. These tensions previously prevented a joint statement during a foreign ministers' meeting in May. Additionally, the summit occurs amid threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has described the group as anti American and threatened tariffs on members that seek to replace the U.S. dollar.
Logistically, the summit has required a massive security operation in New Delhi, involving the coordination of approximately 35 special aircraft and restrictions on non scheduled flights within a 300 kilometer radius of the city. On the diplomatic periphery, officials from Bangladesh expressed disappointment that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was not invited to the summit.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized India's diplomatic balancing act and the bloc's role as a champion for the Global South.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the historical evolution of the bloc and the specific structural challenges to its consensus based approach.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the strategic rivalry between India and China and the potential for internal splits to slow the group's progress.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Can BRICS help reshape global order by strengthening emerging economies?
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: China’s Xi heads to India for BRICS summit overshadowed by wars
- Centre Al-Monitor: Factbox-The evolution of BRICS and its challenges today
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Brics Summit reaffirms lack of cohesion of the bloc
- Centre-left G1: Brics leaders meet in India amid wars and tensions with the US
- Centre-right Hindustan Times: ‘India building economic bridges’: PM Modi hails country's business push at BRICS forum
- Centre-right Hindustan Times: Modi-Xi meeting at BRICS: Where do India-China ties stand today?
- Centre-right Hindustan Times: Bangladesh says reviewing 101 pacts signed with India: 'Outcome very very soon'
- Centre-right Infobae: The BRICS meet in Delhi to measure their consensus regarding wars, trade and global reform
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc looks back on 20 years of growth
- Centre-left Tempo English: Prabowo Arrives in India for BRICS Summit
- Centre The Daily Star: The evolution of BRICS and its challenges today
- Centre-left The Hindu: Congress unable to digest India's progress, spreading negativity over BRICS: BJP
- Centre-left The Hindu: How Delhi is managing 35 special aircraft, air traffic during the BRICS Summit
- Centre-left The Hindu: BRICS Summit 2026 LIVE updates: BRICS leaders set to meet, as wars and U.S. tensions test the bloc
- Centre The Indian Express: PM Modi met Putin, will meet Xi as India walks BRICS tightrope
- Centre The Indian Express: Terror to institutional reforms: BRICS to spell out common ground in declaration
- Centre The Indian Express: Who are the key leaders at the BRICS Summit in India, and why do they matter?
- Centre The Indian Express: Daily Briefing: Vijay and Ajith share the spotlight as India and China seek a new BRICS equation
- Centre The Indian Express: BRICS Business Forum: On women-led businesses, Iran, UAE on same page
- Centre The Indian Express: BRICS summit: What trajectory of China-India ties means for the grouping
- Centre The Indian Express: At BRICS, the value of keeping difficult conversations alive
- Centre-left The Jakarta Post: Modi, Putin seek stronger ties as Russia calls for BRICS to counter West
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.