new video loaded: Leaders of Russia, India and China Gather for BRICS Summit <img src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/leaders-of-russia-india-and-china-gather-for-brics-summit.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width The leaders of Russia, India, China and other nations met in New Delhi for this weekend’s BRICS summit. The coalition of nations was conceived as a counterweight to the West. By Jorge Mitssunaga September 12, 2026 NYT
Tag: BRICS Group
Why Emerging Powers Keep Joining BRICS, Even When They Disagree
At a gathering of nations that are challenging the dominance of the United States, Iran’s president took the main stage on Friday, flanked by the leaders of Russia and India, to condemn “military aggression” by the United States. Iran wants to show that Western sanctions have not left it isolated, even as it digs into a war with the United States that has severely restricted the crucial Strait of Hormuz route for oil and other commodities. President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran spoke at the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the…
At BRICS Summit, Countries Diverge Slightly on Israel and War in Gaza
The BRICS group of developing countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — held a virtual summit on the war in Gaza on Tuesday, articulating divergent positions on the conflict that together reflected the reluctance of some nations outside the world’s largest industrialized democracies to fall in behind Washington’s support for Israel. Several other nations that have been invited to join the BRICS group next year also attended the conference — Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. A joint statement released by the…
Can India Challenge China for Leadership of the ‘Global South’?
For more than a decade, China has courted developing countries frustrated with the West. Beijing’s rise from poverty was a source of inspiration. And as it challenged the postwar order, especially with its global focus on development through trade, loans and infrastructure projects, it sent billions of much-needed dollars to poor nations. But now, China is facing competition from another Asian giant in the contest to lead what has come to be called the “global south.” A newly confident India is presenting itself as a different kind of leader for…
The BRICS Group Announces New Members, Expanding Its Reach
The BRICS club of emerging nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — was at a crossroads when its leaders arrived in South Africa earlier this week for their annual summit. Should it follow the path of more moderate members like India and try to work within the Western-dominated global system? Or should it tack toward China by adding new members that would signal stricter opposition to the United States? On Thursday, the bloc revealed its decision, adding six new countries, including the staunchly anti-Western Iran, in an…
BRICS May Add More Countries to the Group. Here’s What to Know.
Dozens of countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, a group encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that views itself as a counterweight to the West, and is meeting this week in Johannesburg. Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are thought to be among those most likely to be admitted. Iran has also expressed interest. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, backs expanding the group. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is said to be concerned about adding nations close to Beijing; India and China have border disputes and…
Putin Again Blames West for Ukraine War In Speech to BRICS Summit
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia again blamed Western countries for the war in Ukraine in a wide-ranging speech via video link on Wednesday to the five-nation BRICS summit, keeping up his attempts to rally the member countries to Moscow’s side. Addressing fellow leaders of the group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on the second day of the meeting, Mr. Putin said Russia would assume chairmanship of the group next year and host a summit in the city of Kazan in October 2024. Moscow launched its…
China Works to Expand its Sway in Africa Amid Rivalry With the U.S.
President Xi Jinping of China, traveling to Africa for the first time in five years, pledged greater cooperation with South Africa to enhance the voice of poor nations. He commended developing countries for “shaking off the yoke of colonialism.” And on Wednesday, he’s expected to hold talks with the leaders of the BRICS, a club of emerging nations, as he pushes for its expansion to serve as a counterweight to Western dominance. On his four-day visit to South Africa this week, Mr. Xi has sought to cast himself as a…
At BRICS Summit, Putin Tries to Rally Support
The five-nation BRICS summit is focused on whether to expand the club and how to be a counterweight to Western powers, but the meeting opened in Johannesburg on Tuesday in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with President Vladimir V. Putin attempting to rally the members via video to Moscow’s side. In a speech to fellow leaders of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group, Mr. Putin blamed the West for Russia’s exit from an agreement on Ukrainian grain exports that had helped stabilize global food supplies…
BRICS Summit Attracts Global Interest Not Seen in Years
The leaders from the five-member group of nations known as BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — are beginning a three-day summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where they are discussing expanding the club that harbors ambitions of becoming a geopolitical alternative to Western-led forums like the Group of 7. The latest gathering of leaders has garnered a level of international interest rarely seen since the group was first formed 14 years ago. A trade war between Beijing and Washington and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have reinvigorated the…