Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach to BRICS is receiving renewed attention following the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026. The summit brought together the expanded 11-member BRICS grouping at a time of significant geopolitical tensions and competing economic interests.
The Deccan Chronicle opinion piece by Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr, featured in the supplied image, frames this diplomatic challenge as a “BRICS balancing act.” The article is an opinion analysis, rather than an official government assessment, and focuses on the competing pressures India faces while engaging with BRICS members and other major powers.
India assumed the BRICS chairship for 2026 and hosted the summit in New Delhi. The government said its chairship was guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements were conducted across India during the chairship.
The grouping has also expanded considerably. Alongside Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the current BRICS membership includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.This expansion has increased the group’s geographic and economic reach, while also bringing together countries with different diplomatic and security priorities.
The New Delhi summit provided an opportunity for India to engage with both China and Russia while maintaining its wider international partnerships.Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping during the summit, with both sides discussing bilateral relations and the need for continued communication.
Modi also met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, discussions covered political, economic, defence, energy, space and other areas of bilateral cooperation. These engagements illustrate the multiple diplomatic tracks India maintains simultaneously.
A major issue surrounding India’s BRICS participation is the country’s longstanding emphasis on strategic autonomy.The official New Delhi Declaration stressed cooperation among BRICS members while recognising differences in national priorities. It called for greater representation in global institutions and stronger multilateral cooperation.
The declaration also discussed cross-border payment mechanisms, greater use of local currencies and economic cooperation. It stopped short of creating a single BRICS currency, instead emphasising practical cooperation among member countries.
China remains one of the most important factors in discussions about India’s BRICS strategy. China is India’s major trading partner and also a strategic competitor, particularly because of unresolved border issues.At the same time, BRICS requires cooperation between the two countries because China and India are among the organisation’s most influential members.Reuters reported that China’s participation at the 2026 summit gave Beijing an opportunity to promote deeper economic and technological cooperation within BRICS, including proposals related to artificial intelligence and economic integration.For India, the challenge is therefore not simply choosing between different international blocs. It involves maintaining working relationships across multiple forums while protecting its own national interests.
Russia continues to be an important component of India’s foreign-policy calculations, particularly in defence and energy. Modi and Putin discussed expanding bilateral trade and cooperation during their New Delhi meeting. At the same time, India has increasingly positioned itself as a voice for developing and emerging economies.During the BRICS summit, Modi argued that the Global South should have greater representation in global decision-making institutions. He called for reforms to make international governance more representative.