BRICS Summit 2026: Jaishankar Warns of Global Economic ‘Churn’, Stresses Need to Adapt

The BRICS Business Forum is underway in New Delhi as part of the 18th BRICS Summit, bringing together business leaders and senior government representatives from member and partner countries.

India is hosting the BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, with several world leaders and high-level delegations arriving in the national capital from Thursday evening through Friday morning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to attend the summit and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discussions are expected to focus on expanding bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation.

Putin is travelling with a high-level delegation. His visit marks his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

Brazil, China, Iran Among Countries Sending Top Leaders

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira also arrived in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. The Ministry of External Affairs said Vieira is representing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who remains in Brazil for his election campaign.

Among the prominent leaders attending the summit are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

What’s on the Agenda Today?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks on Friday afternoon. The meeting is expected to cover cooperation in areas including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.

Top corporate executives from companies and institutions including China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Huawei Technologies, Alibaba Group, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Embraer are expected to attend Modi’s address at the BRICS Business Forum on Friday evening.

The day’s discussions will focus on “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” and are expected to draw around 1,000 foreign delegates, according to people familiar with the programme.

The opening session is expected to be addressed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

BRICS Summit Security Arrangements

Delhi Police has deployed a multi-layered security apparatus for the summit. Around 15,000 police personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces are expected to be deployed across the national capital, a senior police officer said.

More than 500 CCTV cameras, including high-resolution and specialised surveillance cameras, have also been installed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance in key areas.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has notified airspace restrictions around New Delhi ahead of the summit. Non-scheduled flight operations will be restricted between 7am and 11pm from September 11 to 13, according to people familiar with the matter.