BRICS summit 2026: What are the key takeaways?

What the report says

Leaders of the 11-member BRICS bloc adopted a joint declaration on the first day of their summit in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera. The meeting brought together figures including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a time of heightened tensions over the wars in Iran and Ukraine, as well as US tariff policy. The declaration showed that BRICS members remain able to reach consensus, but often only by using broad language that avoids naming specific countries.

On the Middle East, the bloc expressed concern over escalating violence and called for restraint, while stopping short of directly condemning the US-Israeli strikes on Iran or Iran’s attacks in the region. Al Jazeera said this reflected divisions within the group, especially with Iran and the UAE on opposite sides of the conflict. The statement also voiced opposition to attacks on civilian infrastructure and safeguarded nuclear facilities, language that could be read as an indirect criticism of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

On Ukraine, BRICS called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and criticized sanctions that are not authorized by the UN Security Council, without directly mentioning the war. The declaration was more explicit on Palestine, opposing forced displacement, calling for humanitarian access to Gaza, supporting UNRWA and backing a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

More broadly, the summit highlighted BRICS’ effort to present itself as a stronger voice for the Global South and a counterweight to Western-dominated institutions and trade rules. At the same time, the cautious language underscored the limits of the bloc’s cohesion when member states have conflicting interests.