The war in Ukraine will be a test of BRICS unity at the summit — AP
Russia’s war against Ukraine will be one of the key tests of BRICS unity during the summit, which will take place on September 12–13 in New Delhi. The group’s members have significant differences regarding their stance toward Moscow, relations with the West, and other international conflicts, which will make it difficult for them to reach a common position.
India will try to prevent BRICS from becoming an anti-Western bloc, while China maintains close ties with Russia and Iran.
Divergences Within BRICS
India, which is hosting the summit, will try to balance its relations with Russia and China against its partnership with the United States and other Western countries.
Expected attendees include Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Putin has already arrived in India. This is his first in-person visit to a BRICS summit outside Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold talks with the leaders of the member states, as well as with representatives of the UN and regional organizations.
One of the main sources of internal discord remains the differing stances of BRICS countries on international conflicts. Russia is one of the group’s most influential members, and Iran joined in 2024. China maintains close ties with Moscow and Tehran.
At the same time, India continues to cooperate with Russia in the energy and defense sectors, while simultaneously deepening its strategic relations with the United States. New Delhi, regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, calls for dialogue and diplomacy, avoiding a clear-cut choice of one side over the other. “The Global South is not a homogeneous entity,” noted Pravin Donti, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.
The U.S. war against Iran has posed an additional challenge to BRICS unity. China and Russia have supported Tehran on the international stage, while India has taken a more cautious stance. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for their part, have their own complex relationships with Iran.
India and China: Rivalry and the Search for Cooperation
The summit will also be significant for India-China relations. Xi Jinping will visit New Delhi for the first time in seven years. Relations between the two countries have improved since the 2020 border standoff, but China remains India’s greatest strategic rival.
At the same time, Beijing and New Delhi have different views on the future role of BRICS. China sees the group as a tool to counter the United States. India takes a more cautious approach and is keen to ensure that BRICS does not turn into an overtly anti-Western bloc.
“India will demonstrate its strategic autonomy by remaining part of a non-Western alliance, while at the same time finding it useful to foster cooperation with China—its main strategic rival,” Donti explained.
BRICS is seeking an alternative to the dollar
Another key issue will be reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar. BRICS countries are discussing expanding trade in their own currencies and creating payment mechanisms that will reduce their dependence on Western financial institutions. This issue has become particularly relevant for Russia due to Western sanctions.
At the same time, implementing such plans is difficult due to differences in the financial systems, currencies, and economic interests of the member states.
This was reported with reference to the Associated Press.
Xi Jinping refused to meet with Putin at the BRICS summit.
During the summit in Bishkek, the Russian delegation, led by dictator Vladimir Putin, held a meeting with the Chinese delegation, during which the Kremlin leader attempted to paint a rosy picture of a shared future for Russia and China to Xi Jinping. But the whole thing turned out to be rather pathetic.
China urged the Russian delegation to stop raising the issue of building the new “Power of Siberia-2” gas pipeline, which the Kremlin had hoped would replace the lost European market. Beijing will agree to the contract only on the condition that the price of gas remains at the domestic Russian level—about $50 per thousand cubic meters.
