New Delhi: The capital will see 12 heads of state or government arrive starting Friday for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit. Another 17 delegations from countries and international organisations will be led by officials at various levels, including foreign ministers and vice presidents.
The leaders will participate in discussions on Saturday and Sunday, the two days of the summit. BRICS comprises 11 members and 10 partner countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with at least 15 visiting dignitaries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. President Droupadi Murmu will also meet Pezeshkian.
ThePrint explains the state of India’s ties with the visiting delegations and what is expected to be on the agenda.
Brazil
The Brazilian delegation is led by foreign minister Mauro Vieira, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not attend the summit as presidential elections in the South American country are scheduled for the first week of October.
Lula had travelled to India in February for the AI Impact Summit and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi. India-Brazil ties have seen deeper engagement over the past year, with Modi travelling to Rio de Janeiro for the BRICS Summit last year. The two countries have also set a goal of expanding the preferential trade agreement between Mercosur—the South American trading bloc—and India by the end of 2026. Vieira may call on Modi during the summit, though no formal meeting has been scheduled.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi early Friday and will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi at 3:30 pm, the first such meeting during the summit. Putin last visited India in December 2025 for the annual India-Russia Summit.
The two sides are likely to focus on deepening economic and strategic engagement. This will be their second meeting this year after they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan last month. Modi is also expected to travel to Russia later this year for the annual summit.
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping is making his first visit to India in seven years, and his first since the two countries clashed at Galwan in eastern Ladakh in 2020.
Xi’s visit is key to continuing the stabilisation of ties between the two countries. Modi had travelled to China for the SCO summit in Tianjin in August 2025.
India-China ties have improved over the past two years, since the two countries agreed in October 2024 to disengage from friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Modi and Xi are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the leaders’ summit at 5:45 pm on Saturday. It will be their third bilateral meeting since October 2024.
South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the South African delegation at the BRICS Summit. Modi and Ramaphosa are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting at 4:10 pm on Sunday.
Modi has visited South Africa several times in recent years, attending the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in 2023 and the G20 summit hosted by South Africa last year.
South Africa joined the BRIC grouping in 2011, expanding it to BRICS.
Egypt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will arrive in India late Friday for the BRICS Summit. It will be his first visit since the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023. He was also the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2023.
The two countries elevated ties to a “strategic partnership” that year. However, Modi and Sisi have met only once in the past year-and-a-half, during a pull-aside meeting at the G7 earlier this year.
Modi and Sisi will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit at 3.30 pm on Sunday.
Ethiopia
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will lead the Ethiopian delegation at the BRICS Summit. India-Ethiopia ties have grown in recent years, with Modi making his first bilateral visit to the African country in December 2025, when he was conferred the “Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia”.
This will be the second meeting between the two leaders in the past year. Modi and Ahmed will hold a bilateral meeting at 10 am on Saturday.
Iran
President Pezeshkian is making his first visit to India since becoming Iran’s president in 2024. He has led the country through its ongoing conflict with the US. Modi and Pezeshkian met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek last month.
The two leaders remain engaged over the situation in West Asia. Iran has remained an important regional partner for India, despite economic ties taking a hit after US sanctions in 2019. For India, deeper engagement with Iran is key to ensuring the leaders’ declaration is issued after the summit with all BRICS members signing on to the final language.
Modi and Pezeshkian will hold a bilateral meeting on Friday evening. The Iranian president will also meet President Murmu at 11:30 am on Saturday.
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will lead the Emirati delegation to New Delhi. It will be his second visit to India this year after he led the UAE delegation to the AI Impact Summit in February.
The UAE has emerged as one of India’s closest strategic partners in West Asia. Modi visited the country earlier this year, as the conflict in the region had eased in intensity. The UAE and Iran are on opposing sides of the conflict.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will lead the kingdom’s delegation to India and is the last leader scheduled to arrive, late Saturday evening.
While Saudi Arabia has not formally communicated its acceptance of BRICS membership to the grouping, Riyadh continues to be invited to participate in its meetings and working groups. The foreign minister will attend the outreach summit on Sunday.
Indonesia
President Prabowo Subianto will return to India after his last visit in January 2025 as the chief guest for Republic Day. He was then invited for a state visit and spent four days in India.
India-Indonesia ties have deepened in recent years. Indonesia, which chaired the G20 in 2022, hosted the summit in Bali, where Modi and Xi had a brief pull-aside meeting during the evening dinner — their first such interaction since the Galwan clashes.
Modi travelled to Indonesia for the ASEAN-India summit and related mechanisms in September 2023, shortly before India hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Modi and Prabowo have no scheduled bilateral meeting during the BRICS Summit, though the two leaders are expected to have a pull-aside meeting during the two-day summit.
Indonesia is the newest BRICS member, having joined the grouping in January 2025.
Partner country delegations:
Apart from the 11 BRICS members, 10 partner countries have been invited to the summit. Prime Minister Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with some of these leaders.
Belarus
The Eastern European country will be represented by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov. India-Belarus ties have grown in recent years, with several Indian companies partnering with Belarusian defence firms to purchase military equipment.
Belarus is a key member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the trading organisation with which India is negotiating a free trade deal. It also joined the SCO in 2024.
Bolivia
Bolivia will be represented by Chargé d’Affaires Arlette Garcia of its embassy in New Delhi. The South American country has expressed interest in joining the BRICS.
President Ram Nath Kovind made a state visit to Bolivia in 2019, the first by an Indian president. India maintains an embassy in La Paz.
Cuba
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla will lead the country’s delegation. Cuba remains the last major communist country in the Western Hemisphere.
In recent months, the country has faced a strict US fuel and oil blockade, as Washington has sought to change or negotiate with the government in Havana.
Kazakhstan
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will lead the country’s delegation and will also represent the EAEU at Sunday’s outreach summit.
Modi and Tokayev are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting at 2:30 pm on Sunday at Bharat Mandapam. Tokayev will travel to Seoul from New Delhi for a state visit to South Korea.
Malaysia
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will lead the Malaysian delegation at the BRICS outreach summit. He made his first visit to India as prime minister in 2024, while Modi paid a standalone bilateral visit to Malaysia in February this year.
Modi was scheduled to attend the ASEAN summit hosted by Malaysia last year, but External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made the visit instead.
Modi and Ibrahim will hold a bilateral meeting at 10:30 am on Saturday.
Nigeria
Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead the Nigerian delegation to India for the BRICS Summit. He and Modi will hold a bilateral meeting at 5:10 pm on Sunday.
Nigeria has emerged as an important energy partner for India. Modi travelled to Nigeria in November 2024, where he was conferred the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’.
Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow will lead the Thai delegation to the BRICS Summit. Thailand became a BRICS partner country last year.
Modi travelled to Bangkok for the BIMSTEC Summit in April 2025. Thailand is a member of the organisation alongside India and other countries in the region. India and Thailand also share close cultural ties, with several Buddhist relics from India sent to the country.
Uganda
Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo will lead the country’s delegation to the BRICS outreach summit. Modi will hold his final bilateral meeting at the summit with Alupo at 5:40 pm on Sunday.
Modi visited Uganda in 2018 and addressed its parliament, where he outlined 10 guiding principles for engagement between India and Africa.
Uzbekistan
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov will lead the Uzbek delegation to New Delhi. Modi travelled to Uzbekistan last month for a standalone bilateral visit and held discussions with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Uzbekistan remains a key partner in India’s outreach to Central Asia.
Vietnam
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung is leading the Vietnamese delegation to the BRICS Summit. This is the second visit by a Vietnamese delegation to India this year; President To Lam travelled to the country earlier this year.
Modi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Hung at 11:30 am on Saturday.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
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