New Delhi Hosts 18th BRICS Summit Amid Global Tensions

New Delhi is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit on September 12 and 13, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming leaders from the expanded grouping. The summit takes place at Bharat Mandapam and focuses on multilateralism, trade, investment, energy, food security, supply chains, and global governance. To secure the event, authorities have deployed 30,000 security personnel across airports, hotels, and the venue. The full membership of BRICS now includes 11 countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. UN Secretary General António Guterres is also scheduled to attend.

Prior to the main summit, Prime Minister Modi will address the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, September 11. This forum is expected to draw approximately 1,000 delegates, including high level executives from companies such as Huawei, Alibaba, Emirates, and Sberbank. The business meetings will cover the digital economy and agricultural security. Additionally, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is leading a meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Mumbai to build consensus on economic issues.

Diplomatic efforts are coinciding with the summit, particularly regarding the war in Ukraine. Reports indicate that India has urged dialogue and diplomacy, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar traveling to Moscow and Kyiv. This occurs as U.S. envoys have also visited those cities to propose peace frameworks. While center leaning coverage emphasizes India's role in keeping the Ukraine peace process moving as a global public good, center right coverage focuses more on the logistical scale of the summit and the strategic importance of business ties and supply chain resilience.