India Still Stands By BRICS

Source: Foreign Policy | Original Published At: 2026-05-13 20:34:15 UTC

Key Points

• India, as BRICS chair, hosted the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi and is set to host the leaders’ summit in September.
• The article says BRICS expansion has increased the group’s profile, with new members including Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the UAE.
• It highlights internal frictions among members and participants, including Iran-UAE rivalry and Egypt-Ethiopia tensions, as obstacles to consensus-based decisions.
• The ongoing Iran war is described as a major complication that could hinder agreement on a joint statement at the ministers’ meeting.
• From India’s perspective, BRICS remains strategically useful for balancing ties with the West and the broader Global South.
• The commentary suggests India may prefer BRICS to avoid being seen as explicitly anti-West while still engaging on multilateral reform themes.