Can India Balance Russia and China at the BRICS Summit Without Damaging Ties with the West?

Source: ABP News | Original Published At: 2026-09-06 02:27:42 UTC

Key Points

• The 18th BRICS summit is scheduled for 12-13 September at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, hosted by India.
• The summit theme focuses on strengthening cooperation, innovation, and stability, with practical cooperation as a central objective.
• The article frames India's main challenge as balancing relations with Russia and China within expanded BRICS without damaging ties with Western countries.
• Russia is described as India's longstanding strategic partner, accounting for about 40% of India's crude oil imports and supported by a Rupee-Ruble payment system facilitating about 96% of bilateral trade.
• China is portrayed as a complex rival, with border-related distrust persisting after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, while recent talks in Bishkek aim to stabilize relations.
• India blocked a proposed link between UPI and China's Alipay+ over security and data privacy concerns, reflecting its caution about Chinese influence in digital and economic cooperation.
• India's approach toward the United States and the West includes Quad cooperation, trade and investment ties, and a multi-alignment strategy based on national interests.
• The article cites IMF data showing expanded BRICS with 10 members has about $88 trillion in economic output on a PPP basis, compared with about $62 trillion for the G7.
• India is described as seeking to keep BRICS development-focused and not anti-Western, while using the platform for cooperation in agriculture, trade, technology, energy, and reforms in global institutions.