As the BRICS Summit begins in Rio de Janeiro, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to emerge as a central figure guiding the bloc through a complex geopolitical landscape and economic uncertainty. Having arrived in Brazil on Saturday, Modi and host President Luiz In&aacute;cio Lula da Silva are expected to steer the discussions back toward BRICS&rsquo; founding goal of economic cooperation and inclusive development &mdash; resisting the anti-Western overtones pushed by China and Russia.
Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the summit in person. Putin is scheduled to address the summit via video, while Chinese Premier Li Qiang will represent Xi. This leaves Modi, leader of BRICS&rsquo; second-largest economy and its most populous country, with a significant opportunity to shape the summit's tone and direction.
India, slated to take over the BRICS presidency from Brazil next year, is expected to promote a moderate stance, continuing the approach seen recently at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit where New Delhi refrained from condemning Israel, despite pressure from other members.
Key issues on the agenda include the ongoing tariff dispute with the United States. While some BRICS nations have called for strong condemnation of U.S. &ldquo;unilateral coercive measures,&rdquo; India is expected to advocate for a balanced response &mdash; likely resulting in a carefully worded statement that avoids directly naming the U.S. New Delhi&rsquo;s current trade talks with Washington are at a delicate stage, and aligning too closely with Chinese or Russian positions could risk undermining those negotiations.
On geopolitical hotspots such as the Iran bombings and the Gaza conflict, India is once again expected to temper the group&rsquo;s language. A recent BRICS statement on Iran was softened at India&rsquo;s insistence, avoiding direct condemnation to secure broader consensus.
Iran, a new BRICS member since last year, will be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after President Masoud Pezeshkian opted out. Meanwhile, Indonesia &mdash; another recent addition &mdash; will make its summit debut with President Prabowo Subianto in attendance.
Brazil, under Lula&rsquo;s leadership, has set the theme of &ldquo;Strengthening Global South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.&rdquo; The summit will also focus on pressing global issues such as the governance of artificial intelligence, climate action (especially ahead of Brazil hosting the UN climate conference later this year), and enhancing cooperation in public health, trade, finance, and investment.
The expansion of BRICS from its original members &mdash; Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2006, with South Africa joining in 2011 &mdash; now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. In addition, several &ldquo;partner countries&rdquo; such as Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, and Vietnam will participate in the summit, even though they are not full members. Other countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Venezuela, Myanmar, and Senegal, have formally applied for membership.
One issue where India&rsquo;s influence has been most visible is the proposal for a BRICS currency to rival the U.S. dollar. India strongly opposed the idea, viewing it as a move that could serve China&rsquo;s interests under the BRICS umbrella. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also warned BRICS nations against pursuing a dollar alternative, threatening consequences if such a currency were developed.
India's push for moderation has already had geopolitical consequences. Argentina, under new President Javier Milei who aligns with the U.S., withdrew its BRICS application. Saudi Arabia, though invited to join, has yet to formalize its participation.
As the summit unfolds, PM Modi&rsquo;s leadership is expected to be pivotal in ensuring BRICS maintains a cooperative, balanced approach &mdash; one focused on development rather than division. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

At Rio Summit, PM Modi to push for moderation, economic focus, and Global South cooperation

Modi to Steer BRICS Amid Global Tensions

At Rio Summit, PM Modi to push for moderation, economic focus, and Global South cooperation

July 6, 2025 | 17:19 IST