- Russia's Putin, China's Xi, and Iran's Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi
- The summit runs from September 12-13 with leaders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America
- Agenda includes trade, development financing, and global institution reforms
Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the world leaders expected to attend next month's BRICS Summit in New Delhi, sources in the government told NDTV. The summit, hosted by India after five years, comes amid geopolitical tensions dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Europe.
The grouping, which now stretches across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, is expected to bring together leaders and senior representatives from across the bloc. The other heads of state expected to visit New Delhi for the summit include South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa, Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan's president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Indonesia's president Prabowo Subianto.
From Malaysia, Thailand, and Ethiopia, prime ministers Anwar Ibrahim, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Abiy Ahmad, respectively, are likely to attend the summit, while Cuba, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are likely to be represented by their presidents, Miguel Diaz-Canel, Bola Tinubu, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
From Brazil, a founding member of the group, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is not expected to attend because of domestic commitments, with the country likely to be represented by its foreign minister Mauro Vieira. Uganda may be represented by Vice President Jessica Alupo, Vietnam by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, instead of his father, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
India is hosting the summit from September 12 to 13.
What's on the Agenda
On paper, the agenda is set to focus on trade, development financing, and reform of global institutions, but behind closed doors, the Middle East conflict and differences between Iran and the UAE are likely to dominate the meetings.
Iran is expected to push for language in the summit declaration reflecting its position on the recent conflict, strikes, and sanctions, making negotiations particularly difficult.
BRICS operates on consensus, meaning a single delegation can block agreement on a contentious paragraph. "The language on West Asia is where the pressure is," a diplomat familiar with the preparations told NDTV. "Everyone has their own red lines."
The wording of any joint statement remains under negotiation.
The Xi-Putin Meeting
The presence of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will add another layer to India's diplomatic balancing act.
Xi is likely to attend the summit with a large delegation of about 400 officials, in what would be his first visit in seven years and a fresh sign of a thaw between the rivals, news agency Reuters reported, quoting officials.
The Chinese leader's presence would be watched less for the BRICS agenda than for what it signals about Beijing and New Delhi's efforts to stabilise relations after deadly border clashes in 2020.
Russian President Putin also aims to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a regional forum, while calling for stepped-up trade cooperation between the two nations.
At a meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Kremlin on Monday, Putin highlighted a recovery in trade turnover between Russia and India following a dip the prior year. He then asked the foreign minister to pass on his greetings to the prime minister.
India continues to maintain close defence and energy ties with Russia despite pressure from Western capitals. At the same time, relations with China have improved after years of military tensions along the Line of Actual Control, although the underlying strategic rivalry between the two countries remains.
