BRICS Summit: ‘Changing world cannot be steered by outdated institutions’ – Modi: As it happened
The changing world “cannot be steered by outdated institutions,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration at the annual summit in New Delhi.
The two-day gathering, which runs September 12-13, has brought together leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, with bilateral meetings also taking place on the sidelines.
“Reforms are essential in representation, responsiveness and rule-making,” Modi said, calling for a greater role for the Global South in international decision-making.
The declaration backs reform of the UN and global financial institutions to give developing countries greater representation, and condemns unilateral sanctions that violate international law.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin described BRICS as an emerging center of global governance, saying global politics, security and the economy increasingly depend on the group’s joint decisions.
RT reporters are on the ground in New Delhi covering the 18th BRICS Summit, which runs through Sunday.
This live feed has now ended. Stay tuned for the second day of the BRICS summit on Sunday.
- 18:16 GMT
RT has launched an interactive project called The Moscow-Delhi Window, linking the two capitals for several days. Identical large-screen installations, erected near the Kremlin in Moscow and the Red Fort in Delhi, allow visitors thousands of kilometers apart to see and interact with each other in real time.
- 17:17 GMT
BRICS has proven to be the “number one” organization in terms of multilateral cooperation, Brazilian journalist, columnist, and host of The Cradle Powership podcast, Pepe Escobar, has told RT. The ongoing summit has been marked by the fact that two nations, which are de facto in war, Iran and the UAE, have been sitting at one table and actually managed to agree on the joint declaration adopted by the group, he noted.
“This is a small miracle in itself, especially because we have two full members at the table,” Escobar said. “On Monday, there’s going to be an absolutely key meeting between [the Gulf Cooperation Council] members and Iran to regulate navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in the short term. It’s not guaranteed that the UAE is going to be at the table. So the fact is that we had a very, very important meeting among the bilaterals,” he added.
- 16:47 GMT
The media has obtained the menu of the BRICS Gala Diner. The leaders are treated to assorted traditional Indian dishes, and the menu goes into great detail on the offerings for those unfamiliar with the local cuisine.
- 16:28 GMT
Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the summit for face-to-face talks and discussed the “full range” of relations between China and India. The Indian side conveyed its best wishes for the upcoming rotating BRICS presidency, which Beijing is set to hold next year, Modi wrote on X.
- 16:10 GMT
BRICS is not, by any means, an anti-Western group, and it is designed as a “platform for mutually beneficial partnership where member countries of BRICS can come together,” Indian MP Sujeet Kumar has told RT.
“My prime minister has very, very categorically said many times that BRICS is non-Western, but it is not anti-Western. And if the US, and particularly President [Donald] Trump, perceives it to be anti-American or anti-US, I think it’ s his problem, not the problem of BRICS,” Kumar stated. “BRICS is a platform for the growth, development, prosperity of the Global South,” the lawmaker stressed.
- 14:36 GMT
BRICS should take a stronger posture in helping member states resolve disputes, the head of the BRICS Research Institute, Fulufhelo Netswera, told RT.
“I think it would be good that BRICS take a very strong posture and sit down [with] the nations, the BRICS nations, where there are tensions, and be able to proactively resolve those tensions,” he said.
Netswera added that the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz greatly affects the group, especially African nations which “are highly dependent on energy importation, but they are equally also dependent on the importation of grain and fertilizers.”
“The challenge is immense, and we need to transform ourselves to be able to absorb these shocks, these disruptions better into the future.”
- 14:26 GMT
The Kremlin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has shared on social media a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “The Leaders are only missing their friend, President Trump, to complete the circle,” he captioned the image.
Speaking on the sidelines of the summit to Russian media, Dmitriev said preparations for the proposed Russia-US-Germany business forum have gained traction, with two locations currently being considered and a final decision on the venue expected by the end of the year.
“We have two proposals regarding where to hold this forum. One country is in the Middle East, and the other is a country closer to the Middle East,” he said, adding that a “truly neutral” country will likely be picked.
The Leaders are only missing their friend, President Trump, to complete the circle. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/KgLEAclt96
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) September 12, 2026 - 13:46 GMT
The Russian president met with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on the sidelines of the summit, discussing the situation in the Middle East and beyond.
“The region is going through difficult times, and we maintain constant contact. These difficult times will pass and our relations will continue to grow stronger,” Putin said at the meeting.
The UAE remains “one of the closest nations” for Russia in the region, Putin said. The two countries continue to bolster cooperation in various areas, including security and politics, as well as enjoying steadily growing trade, he added.
