BRICS Summit 2026: Key Decisions and Commitments

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1418 EAT on Monday 14 September 2026

Leaders of the BRICS group of nations have unanimously adopted a joint declaration on the first day of their two-day summit in New Delhi, India, despite divisions among members over the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

The New Delhi Declaration, adopted on Saturday, called for restraint in the Middle East but stopped short of condemning US-Israeli strikes on Iran or Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries.

The declaration also criticised the global trade war without directly naming the United States.

The Global South grouping was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, forming the BRIC bloc. Four years later, South Africa joined, giving the grouping its current name, BRICS.

The bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.

Together, the BRICS countries represent nearly half of the world’s population and account for about 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).

The bloc has sought to increase the influence of developing economies in international institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers. It has also called for reforms to institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

Reflecting India’s position, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BRICS should not be viewed simply as an anti-Western bloc.

“BRICS is not against anyone,” Modi said, arguing that countries in the Global South should have a greater role in shaping global governance.

The war in the Middle East was one of the biggest tests of whether the expanded BRICS bloc could reach a common position on major global conflicts.

In their declaration, BRICS leaders expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions” in the Middle East and called for “maximum restraint”, urging countries to avoid actions that could further aggravate the situation.

However, the declaration did not explicitly mention the United States, Israel, Iran or the Gulf states.

This marked a shift from last year’s joint statement, issued at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which condemned the US and Israeli war on Iran, describing it as a “blatant breach of international law”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the war “does not serve the common interests of the international community” and called for a political settlement and a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire.

In May, BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement amid differences among members over the war. Iran is a BRICS member, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), another member, has faced Iranian attacks during the conflict.

Former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao described New Delhi’s ability to secure a joint declaration as a “significant diplomatic success” despite “sharp differences between Iran and the UAE”.

Rao said the bloc managed to preserve consensus by using carefully generalised language, highlighting both the strength and limitations of BRICS.

“Consensus was preserved, but only through carefully generalised language,” she said in a post on X.

She argued that while BRICS can keep difficult discussions going and affirm broad principles, it struggles to assign responsibility or coordinate collective action when the interests of its members clash.

The declaration also expressed concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities protected by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The wording could be interpreted as an indirect criticism of the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

During the 12-day war in 2025, the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.

Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said expectations for the BRICS summit had been low because of geopolitical tensions and competing strategic interests among members.

“The members, invested in the success of this non-Western grouping, would be reasonably satisfied with the modest outcome,” he said.

Donthi added that India leveraged its strong relations with all BRICS members and worked behind the scenes to secure the declaration, overcoming the summit’s biggest challenge: persuading Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are on opposing sides of the ongoing conflict, to agree on a common position.

The war in Ukraine remains another source of tension within BRICS, particularly because Russia is a founding member of the bloc.

The declaration called for international disputes to be resolved through “dialogue, consultation, and diplomacy” but did not specifically mention Ukraine.

However, BRICS leaders criticised unilateral sanctions imposed without authorisation from the United Nations Security Council.

“We call for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter,” the statement said.

The position is significant for Russia, which has faced extensive Western sanctions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. India, meanwhile, has maintained close ties with Moscow and continued importing Russian oil amid disruptions to global energy supplies following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered to facilitate peace talks on Ukraine, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed their willingness to help, state news agency TASS reported.

Last year, US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. India has since reduced its imports of Russian crude.

The declaration expressed “firm opposition” to the forced displacement of Palestinians and attempts to alter the geography or demography of the occupied Palestinian territory.

The BRICS bloc called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, unhindered humanitarian access, continued support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and full UN membership for Palestine.

The bloc also reiterated its support for a two-state solution and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Despite divisions over the wars in Iran and Ukraine, BRICS leaders managed to reach consensus on a joint declaration, highlighting the bloc’s growing role in discussions on global governance and international affairs.

The summit also underscored the challenges facing the expanded grouping as members seek to balance differing national interests while pushing for a greater voice for developing countries in the global order.

With its growing membership and economic weight, BRICS is seeking to strengthen cooperation among countries of the Global South while advocating for reforms to the international institutions that shape the global economy.

-Aljazeera

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