17 Years After First BRICS Summit, Lula Skips Meet for Election Campaign

Source: The New Indian Express | Original Published At: 2026-09-10 18:02:21 UTC

Key Points

• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will skip the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13.
• Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira will represent Brazil at the summit.
• Lula’s absence is significant because Brazil is a founding BRICS member and he is the only sitting leader from the original BRIC quartet.
• The article traces BRICS’ evolution from a four-country economic grouping to an 11-member platform spanning major economies and developing countries.
• The New Development Bank, announced in 2014, is described as an important step toward financial institutions outside the traditional Western-led architecture.
• New Delhi is expected to use the expanded BRICS network to amplify Global South priorities such as development finance, supply-chain resilience, energy, food security, and technology.
• The summit will also include representatives from ASEAN, the African Union, GCC, CELAC, and the Eurasian Economic Union.