From BBC News · · 2m
Rivals at one table: inside the Delhi Brics summit
India got Putin, Xi and Iran's president into one room, then watched them agree on almost nothing specific.
In brief
India got Putin, Xi and Iran's president into one room, then watched them agree on almost nothing specific. Brics can now convene rivals who barely speak elsewhere, but convening is not the same as agreeing on what replaces the old order. Originally reported by BBC News.
Rule-shapers, not rule-takers
Modi opened the Delhi summit with a pitch: the leaders around the table should write the rules rather than accept them. It set the tone for a weekend about power, not paperwork.
“rule-shapers, not rule-takers”
These are not natural allies
Around that circular table sat countries with live border disputes and recent military strikes against each other. India and China fought a deadly border clash in 2020.
Iran fired on a fellow member
Tehran launched missiles and drones at the UAE during the Middle East war, sending shocks through global markets. Both still showed up in Delhi as Brics partners.
India refuses the anti-West label
China, Russia and Iran see Brics as a way to dilute US and European influence. Delhi wants strategic autonomy without burning its Western relationships.
“not against anyone”
A declaration built on silence
After two failed ministerial meetings this year, the New Delhi Declaration passed on day one. It worked by dodging everything members actually fight about.
No blame, no Ukraine
On the Middle East it urges maximum restraint and condemns attacks on civilian and nuclear sites, but names no aggressor. Russia's war in Ukraine goes unmentioned, breaking with past declarations.
“maximum restraint”
Tariffs named, America not
The text criticises indiscriminate rising tariffs and unilateral sanctions while carefully avoiding the word Washington. Trump has already called Brics currency plans anti-American.
“indiscriminate rising tariffs”
Tehran breaks its isolation
Pezeshkian met Abu Dhabi's crown prince, the highest-level talks between the two since the war began, and pushed for trade with India, Malaysia and Ethiopia under US sanctions.
A handshake, not a hug
Xi's first Delhi visit in seven years lasted under 24 hours and skipped the gala dinner. Still, the two sides agreed to work on trade barriers and transport links.
“we have to trust, but verify first”
The hard question is next
Members agree the old order needs replacing more urgently than ever. What actually replaces it, and how, is the part nobody in Delhi answered.
At a glance
Brics can now convene rivals who barely speak elsewhere, but convening is not the same as agreeing on what replaces the old order.
