BRICS Summit in Delhi: Full List of World Leaders Set to Attend

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the heads of state expected in New Delhi for the upcoming BRICS Summit, according to government sources cited by NDTV. The gathering marks India’s first turn hosting the bloc in five years and arrives at a moment of heightened global uncertainty, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Europe shaping the diplomatic backdrop.

A Widening Global Bloc

BRICS has expanded well beyond its founding members, now drawing participants from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Confirmed or expected attendees include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, alongside Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto. Prime ministers from Malaysia, Thailand, and Ethiopia are also likely to join, while Cuba, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are expected to send their respective presidents.

Trade, Reform, and Quiet Tensions

The summit’s official agenda centers on trade cooperation, development financing, and reform of global institutions. Behind closed doors, however, delegates are expected to navigate friction points, including differences over the Middle East conflict and tensions between Iran and the UAE. Because BRICS operates on consensus, the phrasing of joint statements on sensitive geopolitical issues is likely to require careful negotiation among member states.

For India, the summit carries added diplomatic weight. Xi Jinping’s visit, his first in seven years, is being read as a signal of easing tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. Putin, meanwhile, is expected to use the visit to deepen trade and defence cooperation with India, even as Russia balances its ties amid broader international pressure.