BRICS leaders adopt New Delhi Declaration amid global tensions

Leaders of the BRICS group adopted the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday after negotiations aimed at overcoming differences among members over the wars in the Middle East and other geopolitical issues. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the summit, which brought together leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meeting comes as the United States and Iran remain engaged in a prolonged conflict and as the war in Ukraine continues to shape international relations. Reuters reported that the declaration was negotiated to condemn unilateral aggression without directly naming individual countries, allowing members with competing positions on the Middle East to support a common document.

The declaration reflects the bloc’s effort to expand its influence in global economic and political affairs while maintaining cooperation among countries with significantly different foreign-policy priorities. BRICS members expressed concern over unilateral tariffs and other trade restrictions and called for a more open and predictable international trading system. The group also emphasized the importance of international law, the U.N. Charter, civilian protection and the uninterrupted flow of global trade. Modi has pushed for reforms to international institutions, including greater representation for developing countries in the U.N. Security Council and changes to the governance of major financial institutions. The summit also addressed economic cooperation, energy security, technology, food security and efforts to increase trade using national currencies rather than relying heavily on the U.S. dollar.