Indo-Pacific — 2026-09-10

BRICS Summit Opens in New Delhi September 12-13 With Putin and Xi Expected to Attend

BLUFIndia's subdued staging signals New Delhi will use its host role to broker bilateral outcomes rather than chase a dramatic joint communiqué that could fracture the expanded bloc.

India will host the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12-13, under its fourth chairship since 2012 12. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend, though Beijing has not formally confirmed his participation, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to attend less than a year after his December 2025 New Delhi visit 2. Business Standard also lists South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Thailand among expected attendees, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres' participation pending formal announcement 2. Bloomberg reports India is opting for a "subdued" summit format with reduced pomp compared with past hosting efforts 3. The summit follows a BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Mumbai on September 9-10 and caps a chairship year that has included more than 350 meetings across over 25 Indian cities 12.

Analysis
The subdued staging Bloomberg describes, converging with Foreign Policy and Business Standard reporting while Business Today merely aggregates, indicates New Delhi is prioritizing substantive outcomes and bilateral management over spectacle, reducing the chance summit theatrics overshadow the joint statement validating India's chairship year. The toned-down format may equally reflect security and budget constraints after a 350-meeting chairship rather than deliberate downgrading. Xi's still-unconfirmed attendance leaves any Modi-Xi sideline meeting, and signals on the broader rapprochement, contingent until his arrival. Putin's return within a year of his December visit reinforces Moscow's continued reliance on India as a diplomatic venue amid Western isolation, while a guest list spanning Iran and Gulf states alongside Global South partners forces India to manage competing West Asian interests inside its own host role.

4 sources

BRICS Summit 2026: Who will be in New Delhi, what's on the agenda, & why India is in focus - Business Today
Brics Summit 2026: Who are attending, what's on agenda, and India's role - Business Standard
India Shuns Pomp In Favor Of Restraint at Subdued BRICS Summit - Bloomberg
India Prepares for BRICS Leaders' Summit - Foreign Policy