BRICS Summit Opens in Delhi as Modi Meets Xi and Putin, Delhi Declaration Adopted
PM Modi opened the BRICS summit in Delhi, sharing photos with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin as leaders adopted the Delhi Declaration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared photographs from the BRICS summit in Delhi showing him holding hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a gesture that underscored the gathering's emphasis on unity among the bloc's leading powers. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indonesian Prime Minister Prabowo Subianto also featured in the images from the summit.
"BRICS Summit 2026 gets underway in Delhi," Modi wrote alongside the photographs.
The summit, which carries several bilateral meetings on its margins, began in the afternoon with the prime minister's call for the Global South to move from the periphery to the centre of international decision-making. Modi said India is prepared to share expertise and training with policymakers from Global South countries so they can participate more effectively in global dialogue.
In a significant diplomatic outcome, the grouping adopted the Delhi Declaration, which includes condemnation of terrorism and of unilateral acts of war. The consensus was reached after negotiations that continued into the early hours of Saturday, bridging differences among members on several contentious issues.
"The meeting has been productive and positive. No member has expressed any disagreement," Modi said.
Putin reached Delhi in the early hours of Friday, while Xi arrived in the afternoon. Modi held a bilateral meeting with the Russian president on Friday evening covering political, economic, defence, energy, space, skill mobility and people-to-people cooperation. The two leaders also discussed the conflict in the Middle East and the war in the Black Sea region, with Modi stating that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only path to resolving such disputes.
A bilateral meeting with Xi was scheduled for the evening, with discussions expected to cover the situation along the Line of Actual Control as well as trade, investment and economic engagement. The border question is expected to figure prominently as the two countries seek to consolidate a recent stabilisation in relations.
Addressing the assembled leaders, Xi said the war in the Middle East does not serve the common interests of the international community.