Friends, foes, and Trump factor: India’s big BRICS balancing act

Source: India Today | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 01:30:00 UTC

Key Points

• India is chairing the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, hosting leaders from 11 member countries, including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
• The summit is complicated by the US-Iran conflict, which has also affected the UAE and Saudi Arabia, countries attending the meeting.
• Iran is expected to press BRICS for a strong stand against US military action, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia may seek condemnation of Iranian strikes across the Gulf.
• India is reportedly working with Russia and Egypt in back-channel efforts to bridge differences and salvage a joint declaration.
• A May BRICS foreign ministers' meeting ended without a joint statement due to differences between Iran and the UAE over Middle East tensions.
• India is also managing the US factor, as President Donald Trump has viewed BRICS as a challenge to American economic and strategic interests.
• New Delhi has sought to counter perceptions that BRICS is anti-Western, including clarifying that the bloc is not pursuing a separate currency to replace the US dollar.