Modi & Guterres hold meeting, Malaysia’s Ibrahim lands in Delhi

India is hosting the two-day 18th BRICS Summit, starting 12 September, in New Delhi, marking its fourth chairship of the grouping.

By
ThePrint Team
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PM Modi with UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres in New Delhi on 11 September, 2026 | X@ANI
PM Modi with UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres in New Delhi on 11 September, 2026 | X@ANI

India is all set to host the two-day 18th BRICS Summit, starting 12 September, in New Delhi, marking its fourth chairship of the grouping.

The Leaders’ Summit begins Saturday, while Sunday’s events will focus on the outreach summit with partner countries and heads of regional organisations invited by India. However, a number of events related to the grouping will take place Friday.

Meanwhile, India continues preparations for the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

With world leaders now arriving, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “full confidence that the conference will feature positive and meaningful discussions on various issues, with aspirations for global welfare”.

India’s chairship of BRICS is guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

Stay tuned for updates.

Run-up to BRICS Summit 2026 | HIGHLIGHTS

8 pm: Modi, Guterres hold meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

7.30 pm: Modi-Pezeshkian bilateral begins

Modi’s bilateral meeting with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is underway in New Delhi. The meeting assumes significance given that it is being held against the backdrop of escalating tensions in West Asia.

7 pm: Malaysia’s Ibrahim lands in Delhi

Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has landed in New Delhi for the BRICS summit. He was received at the airport by Minister of State (MEA) Kirti Vardhan Singh.

5.20 pm: Modi, Putin review progress in bilateral ties in trade, energy, defence

A statement by Ministry of External Affairs reads:

“The leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation in sectors including trade, energy, defence, space and people to people ties, which remain key focus areas of the enduring India-Russia partnership.

They also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest in the regional and global sphere, including conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region. PM reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remains the way forward in resolving conflicts and India stands ready to assist in peace efforts.”

4.50 pm: 13 world leaders, 17 delegations

The capital will see 13 world leaders attend 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.

Keshav Padmanabhan explains the state of India’s ties with the visiting delegations and what is expected to be on the agenda:

BRICS Summit 2026: 13 world leaders in town. A look at who and why this matters

4.00 pm: Modi meets Putin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a bilateral meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

3.00 pm: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrives

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS Summit. He was received by the Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar.

Guterres being welcomed by MoS Majumdar | @MEAIndia/ANI Photo
Guterres being welcomed by MoS Majumdar | @MEAIndia/ANI Photo

2.30 pm: Iranian president arrives in Delhi

Masoud Pezeshkian arrives in India for BRICS Summit:

01.30 pm: ‘Goal of BRICS is to confront unilateralism’: Pezeshkian departs for BRICS Summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has left Tehran for New Delhi. He will hold a bilateral meet with PM Modi later in the day.

Ahead of his departure, he said, “The goal of BRICS is to confront unilateralism, and the slogan of the current summit is also within this framework, and we hope to get closer to this goal day by day. Of course, we know that economic issues are complex and we need new approaches to reduce totalitarianism and unilateralism in the world.”

President of Iran, Pezeshkian, departs for India to attend BRICS Summit 2026, on Friday. (Embassy of Iran in India/ANI Photo)
President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, departs for India to attend BRICS Summit Friday | Embassy of Iran in India/ANI Photo

12.40 pm: Jaishankar meets Brazilian foreign minister

EAM Jaishankar meets his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on the sidelines.

“Discussed our bilateral relations, including enhancing cooperation in trade & investment, defence, energy, agriculture and space. Our multilateral cooperation including in the @UN, G20 & IMO also came up. Exchanged views on the current geopolitical situation and the importance of #BRICS2026 in furthering dialogue & diplomacy,” Jaishankar posted on X.

Image via X

12.00 pm: Xi to arrive Saturday

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in New Delhi Saturday morning for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit, accompanied by a large delegation of officials and business leaders.

Xi will attend the summit and also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving the following morning.

This will be Xi’s first trip to India in seven years and comes against the backdrop of a gradual thaw in ties between the two countries after tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that erupted in 2020.

Sources said that the bilateral meeting is likely to be held at Bharat Mandapam, where the BRICS summit is set to take place, rather than Hyderabad House. This would help avoid the additional travel time of moving the two leaders between the summit venue and central Delhi.

Read Snehesh Alex Philip’s report:

Chinese President Xi Jinping to arrive Saturday for BRICS, meet PM Modi before leaving Sunday

11.40 am: BRICS Sherpas scramble to bridge West Asia differences for joint statement, India confident of consensus

The BRICS Sherpas are scrambling to find consensus for a joint leaders’ declaration, as differences remain over the language on the situation in West Asia, ThePrint has learnt.

India’s suggested language to ensure consensus between all BRICS member-states, especially on West Asia, likely focuses on the larger principles of unprovoked aggression and the United Nations charter, rather than condemning any specific nation.

Senior officials tell ThePrint that New Delhi remains confident at striking a consensus between all member-states of the BRICS, pointing to the strong bilateral ties India has with both the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

The language focused on ensuring a compromise between the two countries who have been on opposing sides of the war in the region. The BRICS Sherpas have been negotiating largely in person since at least Tuesday. The various drafts of the resolution circulated till Wednesday have yet to find consensus on the language surrounding West Asia.

Read Keshav Padmanabhan’s report:

BRICS Sherpas scramble to bridge West Asia differences for joint statement, India confident of consensus

11.10 am: EAM Jaishankar speaks at Business Forum

External Affairs Minister says in his address, “We meet at a time when global political and economic order is under churn. Volatility, uncertainty, and complexity have become defining features of the world around us… At the same time, rapid digitisation and technological advances are opening new possibilities for growth, productivity and development. The result is an economic landscape where both risks and opportunities are becoming more widely distributed and where the ability to anticipate, adapt and respond is acquiring greater importance.”

10.30 am: BRICS Business Forum kicks off

The BRICS Business Forum is underway as part of the Summit. Business and government leaders from various member countries are present.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal are among the speakers.

10.15 am: Leaders begin arriving in Delhi

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Uganda Vice President Jessica Alupo have arrived for the summit. Both were received by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary. South Africa is a member country of BRICS, while Uganda is one of the 10 partner countries.

Earlier, Uruguay Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lubetkin, Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro also arrived in New Delhi.

10.00 am: Security tighetened in the Capital

Security has been tightened at Bharat Mandapam ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with Delhi Police stepping up deployment, surveillance and preparedness measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the high-level event.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) New Delhi Sachin Sharma tells ANI that police personnel have been deployed across different sector zones in New Delhi, and security drills have been conducted as part of preparations.

Delhi Police has mobilised over 15,000 personnel, while the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided approximately 200 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies for law and order and other operational duties.

9.30 am: Putin in Delhi

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi early Friday. He was welcomed by Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.

Putin will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day and will attend the BRICS Business Forum.

The discussions are expected to focus on strategic trade resilience, cross-border payment mechanisms, energy security, and conflict-resolution pathways regarding ongoing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and West Asia.