New Delhi: India’s biggest takeaway from the 18th BRICS Summit may have come from the diplomatic meetings held on the sidelines rather than from any single decision announced at the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The event gave India an opportunity to engage with major powers at a time when its ties with China are being carefully managed, its relationship with Iran is important for regional stability and trade and the US tariff regime is creating problems for businesses across several countries.
The question is how much these meetings and the New Delhi Declaration have delivered for India.
Dhananjay Tripathi, associate professor at South Asian University, said the declaration sent an important message to developing countries.
“If you look at the New Delhi Declaration, its main message is that you cannot ignore the Global South,” he said and added BRICS countries are seeking changes in the political and economic system governing international affairs.
The meeting between the two leaders was one of the most anticipated parts of the summit. India and China are two of the largest countries in the Global South and major members of BRICS.
At the closing session, PM Modi said the participation of member and partner countries reflected BRICS’ rising relevance and its inclusive character.
“BRICS is about to enter its third decade. Now the world expects concrete results from us,” Modi said.
He said the deliberations during the two-day summit have strengthened the belief that BRICS has become an effective platform for finding solutions.
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank described the summit as a successful event for India.
“I believe this was an overall successful event. Many people were saying that BRICS was finished, some were speculating that there would be no declaration, but a joint declaration was issued on Saturday (September 12),” he said.
He said the United Nations has become weaker and BRICS is taking up issues such as wars and Palestine.
“I think now the BRICS countries will discuss this as an organisation and individually as well. And until China takes over the BRICS presidency next year, any initiative taken will carry India’s name as the chair. That is good for the country,” he said.
He said that the Modi-Xi meeting did not result in any major announcement.
“We cannot say that something very concrete came out of the talks between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping, but it can be seen as another step towards normalising relations between the two countries,” he said.
The India-China border dispute continues to be the main problem between the two countries. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had also visited China before the BRICS summit.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the government’s handling of India-China ties. In a press note posted on X, he asked why the government has softened its position over China’s alleged military assistance to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. He also questioned whether the “clean chit” given to Beijing after the Galwan Valley clash on June 19, 2020 has weakened India’s position.
He also asked why the government allowed China’s “territorial gains” in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
The New Delhi Declaration gave considerable space to terrorism, an issue India has consistently raised at international forums.
BRICS countries condemned terrorism in all its forms and repeated their commitment to joint action against it and its financing, cross-border terrorism and safe havens for terrorists.
The 45-page, 140-point declaration also condemned the “terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025”, in which 26 people were killed.
India has blamed Pakistan-backed groups for the attack. Islamabad denied involvement. Pakistan was not named in the BRICS declaration.
Shashank said the declaration has to be viewed along with the Modi-Xi meeting and the tensions between India and China.
“After the Pahalgam attack, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, and it is believed that China helped Pakistan in it. In this context, PM Modi’s meeting and bilateral talks with Xi during the BRICS summit are important for normalising relations between the two countries,” he said.
He added, “India and China are the two largest countries in the world in terms of population and ultimately we have to live together, so the differences between the two countries have to be resolved.”
The summit also gave the county a platform to push issues affecting developing economies, particularly trade and tariffs.
The New Delhi Declaration criticised “unjust and unilateral protectionist measures” that have affected several countries. The document did not name Trump or the United States.
Shashank said tariffs have become an important issue for the expanded BRICS group.
“BRICS is a kind of economic organisation. There are now 11 countries in it, and the number of partner countries is also increasing. Tariffs are an important issue for them,” he said.
BRICS began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Its existing members now include Russia, China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Modi said at the BRICS Business Forum on Friday (September 11), “This year we are celebrating the 20th year of BRICS. When this group started in 2006, there were four countries. Now, including BRICS partners, it is a family of 21 countries. BRICS countries represent 50% of the world’s population, 40% of GDP and more than 25% of trade.”
The declaration also criticised domination by any single power and called for changes in international institutions.
Shashank also highlighted the issue of the US dollar.
“President Trump says that the dollar should not be challenged and should not be weakened. But he himself is weakening the dollar. So it will have to be seen how and how far the BRICS countries move forward in these circumstances,” he said.
The presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gave India another important diplomatic opportunity during the summit.
He met Modi and held bilateral talks with him. The prime minister later wrote on X, “It was a pleasure to meet President of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. His visit is special as this is his first visit to India.”
“We discussed India-Iran friendship. We believe that we should move forward with a long-term and mutually beneficial strategy. We also discussed the present situation in the region. India is committed to efforts towards lasting peace.”
Tripathi said India has given greater importance to its relationship with Iran during the summit.
“It seemed that India gave considerable importance to Iran. The two countries have had very old and good relations, so this is quite important. At the same time, the BRICS countries gave an important message to Israel without naming it in their declaration,” he said.
The New Delhi Declaration expressed “deep concern” over the situation in the Middle East. BRICS leaders called for maximum restraint and diplomacy to deal with the crisis involving Palestine and the military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
The declaration called for a ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian assistance. It opposed the forced displacement of Palestinians and supported a two-state solution based on the internationally recognised 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
BRICS also condemned attacks on civilians, healthcare facilities and other civilian infrastructure, along with restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Shashank said the position on Palestine followed an established international line.
“There is nothing new in what the BRICS countries have said. It has been the old principle of the United Nations. BRICS has taken it forward,” he said.
Tripathi said the summit did not result in a major concrete achievement for India. “If you ask what was achieved at the BRICS summit, there is no concrete achievement. There was nothing new in the bilateral talks between India and Russia either,” he said.
He added BRICS sent a message on issues involving developing countries, women’s security, unilateral tariffs and economic matters.
It also called for better representation of developing countries and women, particularly women from the Global South, in the United Nations and other international organisations.
The grouping repeated its commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. BRICS leaders called for women to have full, equal, safe and meaningful participation in decision-making at every level on issues of peace and security.
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