Despite serious geopolitical challenges, the intensification of confrontational trends globally, and the overall deterioration of the international situation, India is successfully and worthily conducting an active chairmanship of this major and authoritative association of Global South states.
The Business Style of India’s BRICS Chairmanship
The period of India’s fourth BRICS chairmanship (it previously led this multilateral association in 2012, 2016, and 2021) has fallen during one of the most tense moments in global politics, and New Delhi, like the organization itself, has faced serious geopolitical challenges. Under these conditions, the wise and skillful Indian leadership has been required to pursue a moderately cautious and balanced course regarding the interests of major global players, advocating for the strengthening of the non-confrontational role of this increasingly influential and attractive association in the process of forming a polycentric world order and promoting the positions of the states of the global majority. At the same time, India’s policy of balancing and commitment to strategic autonomy has manifested in its desire to maintain close partnerships, primarily with the US, the European Union, and other major players; for this reason, New Delhi consistently opposes the transformation of BRICS into an anti-Western bloc or alliance.
It is noteworthy that, despite external economic pressure and the stringent tariff and sanctions policies imposed by the U.S., the Indians have refrained from resorting to anti-American or anti-Western rhetoric.
The presidency’s primary focus was on the non-confrontational development of the bloc, maintaining a balance of interests between BRICS and other key international players, and the need to transform the association from a consultative body into an instrument for concrete, practical cooperation across core areas of agreed-upon interaction. This transition from declarations and conceptually developed initiatives to the practical implementation of set objectives became the hallmark of the Indian presidency’s pragmatic approach.
Actively promoting its four priorities—sustainability, innovation, cooperation, and sustainable development—the Indian presidency hosted over 350 high-level meetings and events aimed at further strengthening the strategic partnership among the bloc’s members and partners across three key pillars: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
Seeking Efficiency Amid Internal Disagreements
Another key focus for the Indians was not on the expansion of BRICS, but on consolidating its internal unity, the importance of integrating new members, and establishing clear mechanisms for interaction to strengthen the bloc’s potential as a significant center of global power. While New Delhi welcomed the expansion of BRICS to include new players (Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and the UAE), it simultaneously maintained that such a move, to a certain extent, weakens the bloc’s internal cohesion and complicates the achievement of the necessary consensus in decision-making. This was clearly demonstrated in May 2026, when the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers concluded without a joint statement due to disagreements between Iran and the UAE regarding the wording on the Middle East conflict. Incidentally, a similar situation occurred earlier in 2025 due to a dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the reform of the UN Security Council. It is evident that these emerging difficulties in decision-making negatively impact the bloc’s authority and overall effectiveness.
“The situation is apparently further complicated by the weak institutionalization of BRICS, the lack of a charter, a permanent secretariat, and formalized procedures for admitting new members. However, it seems that many members of the association resist such organizational steps, preferring a more amorphous character for the group.
The upcoming summit is expected to define the future trajectory of this major alternative interstate association and outline ways for its members to interact amidst current geopolitical challenges and persistent economic risks. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the agenda for the upcoming forum includes issues such as expanding economic cooperation, settlements in national currencies, and the development of alternative payment infrastructure.
For the Indian leadership, it is important to conduct the summit under the banner of consolidated approaches, to achieve the adoption of a joint declaration rather than a mere chair’s statement, and to prove that, with skillful management, an expanded BRICS is capable of pursuing a coordinated line and delivering concrete results, even in the presence of certain disagreements on key contemporary issues. In this sense, the upcoming event is a serious test for N. Modi, and by following such a measured and balanced course, he naturally counts on the support of other key players in the association. Russia, as a traditional, consistent, and reliable strategic partner of India, is interested in strengthening the role and weight of BRICS as a positive counterweight to the unipolar world order. Therefore, it will be committed to providing full support for the constructive efforts of the Indian presidency to overcome current confrontational trends in the world, maintain a balance of interests and cooperation between the association and other key international players, and foster the harmonious development of a world order free from confrontation and escalation.
Anvar Azimov, diplomat and political scientist; ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary; Ph.D. in history; senior research fellow at the Eurasian Educational Institute of MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
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