Russian, Chinese and Iranian leaders arrived in India for an 11-member BRICS gathering shadowed by the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts, with analysts warning the group's recent expansion has created internal divisions over geopolitical tensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are attending a two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, where they are expected to hold bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station on Friday and was received by India's Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. For Xi, this represents his first visit to India since 2019, marking what observers describe as a cautious warming between the nuclear-armed neighbours following a deadly 2020 military clash along their disputed Himalayan border. Recent years have seen gradual restoration of flights, visas and high-level contacts, though deep mistrust persists over territorial disputes, trade imbalances and strategic competition.
The 11-member BRICS forum, originally established in 2009 to amplify the voice of emerging economies in Western-dominated institutions, has expanded to include Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, this expansion has created friction: the three new members hold sharply divergent positions on the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran that began in February. Experts characterise the disagreement as a central challenge. Harsh V. Pant of India's Observer Research Foundation told media outlets that "what was seen until last year as an achievement — the expansion of BRICS — today looks like a big constraint on BRICS." Shilan Shah of Capital Economics noted that BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement when they convened in New Delhi in May, suggesting the expanded group will face cohesion challenges.
India's diplomatic position reflects the complexity of navigating these tensions. New Delhi maintains cordial relations with both Iran and Israel while carefully balancing ties with Washington. The country has partially addressed energy security challenges arising from Middle East instability by deepening energy partnerships with Russia, described as one of India's most important strategic partners despite its role as a controversial fuel supplier amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude for India's stated commitment to resolving the conflict. Heavy security deployments and traffic restrictions have been implemented across New Delhi ahead of the summit, with local authorities requesting public patience and cooperation.