India Navigated Historic BRICS Deadlock

May 25, 2026

India managed a major diplomatic challenge

Summit held in the national capital on

May 14–15, 2026, amid escalating tensions

between Iran and the United Arab Emirates

(UAE). The two-day BRICS meeting, chaired by

India, concluded without issuing a customary

joint statement for the first time in the bloc’s

history. Instead, India released only a Chair’s

Statement and Outcome Document after deep

divisions between Iran and the UAE prevented

consensus among member nations. The summit

overlapped with the US-China summit in Beijing,

where US President Donald Trump held talks

with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During this

period, China’s foreign minister was reportedly

absent from the BRICS meeting as Beijing

focused on hosting the American delegation. The

crisis emerged from contradictions created after

the 2024 BRICS expansion, strongly backed by

China, which brought both Iran and the UAE

into the grouping despite their longstanding

regional rivalry. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas

Araghchi reportedly urged BRICS members to

condemn alleged “violations of international

law by the United States and Israel.” However,

UAE Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen

Al Marar rejected the remarks and accused

Iran of attempting to justify attacks against

Gulf nations. The Foreign Ministers’ meeting

was originally intended to prepare for the

BRICS heads-of-state summit scheduled for

September 2026, with discussions planned

around trade finance, local currency settlements,

UN reforms, and the New Development Bank

(NDB). However, much of the focus shifted to the

ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the

United States. India’s handling of the Summit

reflected “pragmatic realism,” arguing that

BRICS should currently be viewed more as a

flexible cooperation platform than a fully unified

geopolitical bloc. India’s approach demonstrated

the importance of remaining constructively

engaged while carefully managing internal

contradictions within the expanded grouping.

According to India’s Sherpa for BRICS and

Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs,

Sudhakar Dalela, the document reflected the

“common position” of members on almost all

subjects. As the BRICS chair, External Affairs

Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar acknowledged

without hesitation, “There were differing views

among some members regarding the situation

in West Asia/the Middle East”.