BRICS leaders meet in India as wars and U.S. tensions test the bloc
The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine conflict, tensions in West Asia, and strained US-BRICS relations over trade and tariff policy.
The summit tested the bloc's internal cohesion, as member states hold differing and sometimes conflicting relationships with the United States, Russia, Iran, and Europe.
India's hosting of the summit highlighted its effort to sustain strategic ties with Russia and Iran while simultaneously deepening engagement with the United States and Europe.
Bilateral engagements were held on the summit's margins between India and several visiting leaders, alongside the formal BRICS multilateral agenda.
India's Foreign Policy Doctrine: From Non-Alignment to Multi-Alignment
India's post-independence foreign policy was built on non-alignment, formalised through the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), founded in 1961 with India as a founding member alongside Yugoslavia, Egypt, Ghana, and Indonesia. In the post-Cold War period this evolved into "strategic autonomy" (independent decision-making without formal bloc alignment), and since around 2014 into "multi-alignment" — simultaneously engaging multiple, sometimes competing, powers (the US, Russia, China) to maximise strategic options rather than choosing a single camp.
India's simultaneous engagement with Russia, Iran, the US, and Europe during the same summit window is the clearest practical expression of multi-alignment — treating BRICS, Quad, and bilateral ties as complementary, not exclusive, instruments.
BRICS Compared with Other Groupings India Belongs To
BRICS is one of several multilateral platforms India participates in that have different membership logics and strategic purposes, and distinguishing them is a frequent source of prelims confusion.
Key Details
- BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (since 2024), and Indonesia (since January 2025) — an emerging-economy/Global-South grouping, no formal charter or secretariat
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): founded 2001, headquartered in Beijing, includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Central Asian states — focused on regional security and counter-terrorism
- Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad): India, US, Japan, Australia — an informal strategic dialogue with no treaty basis, distinct from a military alliance
- G20: a broader forum of 19 countries, the EU, and the African Union (added 2023) covering global economic governance, distinct from BRICS' Global-South orientation
The "test" the article describes arises precisely because BRICS includes states (Russia, Iran, China) with adversarial relationships with the US and its allies, while India simultaneously maintains Quad membership — a balancing act unique to India's multi-alignment posture.
India-Iran Relations and the Chabahar-INSTC Corridor
India's relationship with Iran, a BRICS member since 2024, centres on connectivity and energy, most visibly through the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), even as India maintains close ties with the US, which has historically sanctioned Iran.
Key Details
- Chabahar port (Iran): developed with Indian investment to provide India access to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan
- INSTC: a multi-modal transport corridor connecting India, Iran, Russia, and Central Asian states to Europe, agreed in principle in 2000
- India has received US sanctions waivers for Chabahar-related activity given its humanitarian and connectivity significance for Afghanistan
Sustaining the Chabahar-INSTC relationship with Iran while deepening US and European ties is one concrete instance of the balancing described in the article.
- NAM founded: 1961, Belgrade Conference
- SCO founded: 2001, HQ Beijing; India became a full member in 2017
- Quad members: India, US, Japan, Australia (revived as leaders'-level dialogue in 2021)
- BRICS members (2026): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia
- G20 permanent members: 19 countries + European Union + African Union (AU admitted 2023)