New Delhi: The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi produced a 140-point declaration covering global governance, terrorism, West Asia, trade, technology, critical minerals and financial cooperation. For India, however, the two-day summit was also an opportunity to use its chairship to push specific priorities and demonstrate that an expanded BRICS could still find common ground despite differences among its members.
Here are the key takeaways for India.
Consensus despite big differences
The most important outcome was the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said no member had raised an objection and that the declaration was adopted unanimously after negotiations.
The document commends the “significant progress” achieved under India’s 2026 BRICS chairship and notes that more than 400 meetings and engagements were held across 30 Indian cities, involving ministers, parliamentarians, officials, experts, businesses, and others. It also specifically commends India for hosting the summit and extends full support to China for the 2027 BRICS chairship.
For India, getting an 11-member grouping to agree on a substantial declaration was an important outcome, particularly because the members hold divergent positions on several international issues.
Iran-UAE engagement amid West Asia tensions
One of the most striking diplomatic developments around the summit was the meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
The two sides discussed regional and international issues and underscored the importance of easing tensions, promoting de-escalation and strengthening regional stability. Pezeshkian subsequently said Iran and the UAE had agreed to “turn the page” and look to the future.
The meeting was particularly significant against the backdrop of the wider West Asia conflict and the divergent positions within BRICS. The summit declaration itself called for maximum restraint, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and greater use of dialogue and diplomacy to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.
For India, which sought consensus on a deeply divisive regional issue, engagement between Iran and the UAE added a significant diplomatic dimension to the summit.
Pahalgam attack gets explicit BRICS condemnation
For New Delhi, one of the clearest outcomes was the declaration’s strong condemnation of the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.
The BRICS leaders reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens. They also called for zero tolerance for terrorism and rejected double standards in countering it.
The declaration also expressed concern over illicit financial flows, including terrorism financing, money laundering and the misuse of virtual assets.
India gets explicit China-Russia support on UN role
Another significant outcome for India came on global governance and UN reform.
The declaration reiterates support for comprehensive UN reform, including Security Council reform, with greater representation for developing countries. Crucially, China and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council, reiterated their support for Brazil and India’s aspirations to play a greater role in the UN, including the Security Council.
The declaration also says BRICS will continue to voice the Global South’s concerns and priorities and promote a more representative international order.
For India, this gives its long-standing campaign for a greater role in global decision-making explicit backing within the BRICS framework.
Modi-Xi meeting adds to the India-China thaw
The summit also provided the setting for a closely watched meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the official Indian account, the two leaders welcomed the steady progress in bilateral relations since their previous meeting in Tianjin in August 2025 and agreed that differences should not become disputes. Modi stressed that the relationship should be guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
The two leaders also discussed the boundary question, with Modi stressing that peace and tranquillity in border areas remained essential for the continued development of bilateral relations. They committed themselves to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.
Trade and economic issues were also discussed, including the structural trade imbalance, supply-chain concerns and the need for meaningful and predictable market access.
Tariffs, trade and local currencies
The economic agenda was another major component of the declaration.
BRICS expressed serious concern over the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, saying they distort trade and run counter to WTO rules. The grouping reaffirmed support for WTO reform and called for restoration of a fully functioning two-tier dispute-settlement mechanism.
On payments, however, the summit stopped short of creating a common BRICS currency. The declaration instead focuses on practical solutions for cross-border payments, including studying interoperability between payment and messaging channels and promoting trade settlements and investments using BRICS local currencies, while recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
This is a more concrete financial agenda than the much-discussed idea of a common BRICS currency.
Critical minerals, AI and India’s technology push
Technology and critical minerals were another area where India’s priorities were visible.
The declaration calls for reliable, responsible, diversified and resilient supply chains for critical minerals, recognising their importance for low-emission technologies, energy security and resilient energy supply chains. It also encourages deeper cooperation in Industry 4.0, startups and technological innovation.
On artificial intelligence, BRICS leaders congratulated India on successfully hosting the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 and said it would help strengthen international cooperation on common AI priorities. The leaders also committed to implementing the BRICS Leaders’ Statement on Global AI Governance.
The declaration additionally welcomes the establishment of the India Centre for BRICS Industrial Competencies, while recognising India’s efforts to promote cooperation in advanced digital production and Industry 4.0.
India-specific financial and development initiatives
The declaration contains several initiatives that reflect India’s chairship priorities.
BRICS members expressed interest in taking forward India’s proposal to host a BRICS Risk Lab at GIFT City International Financial Services Centre in Gujarat, with discussions on enhancing reinsurance capacity among member countries.
The declaration also welcomes the BRICS Task Force on Growth and Development, an Indian chairship initiative intended to provide a platform for discussing growth models and development challenges relevant to BRICS and other emerging and developing economies.
India’s chairship was also credited with progress towards the BRICS Economic Partnership 2030, with the declaration commending India’s leadership in advancing the strategy.
The larger takeaway
The Delhi summit did not erase the differences within BRICS. Its members continue to have divergent strategic, economic and political interests.
But India can point to a number of concrete outcomes from its chairship: a consensus declaration, explicit BRICS condemnation of the Pahalgam attack, China and Russia’s support for India’s greater role in the UN, progress on trade and payments, and recognition of several Indian initiatives in AI, technology, finance and development.
The declaration’s final substantive message is also significant: BRICS leaders commended India’s 2026 chairship and thanked the Indian government and people for hosting the summit.
The harder test will now be implementation. China takes over the BRICS chairship in 2027. For India, the lasting measure of the Delhi summit will be how many of the initiatives advanced during its chairship translate into sustained cooperation and tangible outcomes.
