Leaders of the BRICS group of nations unanimously adopted a joint declaration on the first day of the two-day summit in the Indian capital, New Delhi, despite divisions among members over the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
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Leaders → adopt → Iran
The New Delhi Declaration, adopted on Saturday, called for restraint in the Middle East but avoided condemning the US-Israeli strikes or Iran’s targeting of Gulf countries in the region.
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Declaration → adopt → region
It also criticised the global trade war without naming the United States.
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It → criticise → States
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, were among the leaders attending the gathering of the 11-member bloc in New Delhi at a time of global upheaval caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, Trump’s tariff war and the US’s unilateral decisions to promote its foreign policy.
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Jinping → cloud → policy
Al Jazeera’s Um-e-Kulsoom Shariff, reporting from New Delhi, said the group “steered clear” of naming any countries, even on the issue of wide-ranging US tariffs.
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group → report → tariffs
“We’ve seen BRICS countries who have been targeted, be it India, Russia, China, or any other, but they have stayed clear,” she reported.
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she → see → countries
“While they said unilateral tariffs are condemned and they work against international law, they have not named the US.
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they → say → US
So India had to keep in mind that it has bilateral trade relations with other countries, and so do others.”
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others → have → countries
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BRICS had reached a “coming of age” moment and called on the Global South to become a “rule-shaper” rather than simply accept rules set elsewhere.
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BRICS → say → rules
Here are key takeaways from the declaration from the summit:
What is BRICS?
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, mainly as an economic forum.
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founded → found → forum
South Africa joined the grouping four years later.
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Africa → join → grouping
It has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
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It → expand → Egypt
The BRICS nations constitute nearly half the world’s population and account for approximately 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
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nations → constitute → product
The bloc has sought greater influence for developing economies in institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers and has pushed for reforms to bodies, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.
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bloc → seek → Bank
Conveying India’s position, Modi insisted that the bloc should not be interpreted simply as an anti-Western project.
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bloc → convey → project
“BRICS is not against anyone,” he said, while arguing that the Global South should play a bigger role in shaping global governance.
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South → say → governance
US-Israel war on Iran
The war was one of the biggest tests of whether the expanded BRICS could reach a common position.
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BRICS → expand → position
Leaders expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions” in the Middle East and called for “maximum restraint”, while urging countries to avoid actions that could further aggravate the situation.
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that → express → situation
It did not mention the US, Israel, Iran or the Gulf states explicitly.
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It → mention → US
China’s Xi said in a statement the war “does not serve the common interests of the international community”, and called for a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.
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war → say → settlement
In May, BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement amid differences over the war.
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ministers → fail → war
Iran is a member of BRICS, as is the UAE, which has faced Iranian attacks during the conflict.
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which → face → conflict
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao said New Delhi scored a “significant diplomatic success” in securing a declaration despite “sharp differences between Iran and the UAE”.
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Delhi → say → Iran
“Consensus was preserved, but only through carefully generalised language.
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Consensus → preserve → language
In this, BRICS’s value and its limitation was exposed: it can keep difficult conversations alive and affirm broad principles, but it struggles to assign responsibility or organise collective action when there is the occasional collision of the interests of its members,” she posted on X.
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she → expose → X.
The declaration also raised concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities protected by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards – language that could be seen as an indirect criticism of US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
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that → raise → sites
During the 12-day war in 2025, the US bombed three main Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.
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US → bomb → Fordow
Praveen Donthi, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said expectations for the BRICS summit were low due to geopolitical turbulence and clashing strategic interests.
“The members, invested in the success of this non-Western grouping, would be reasonably satisfied with the modest outcome,” he said.
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he → say → outcome
Donthi added that India used its strong ties with all members and worked behind the scenes to release the declaration, overcoming the biggest hurdle: convincing the UAE and Iran, who are on opposite sides of the ongoing conflict.
Russia-Ukraine war
The Ukraine war remains another source of tension within BRICS, particularly because Russia is a founding member of the group.
The declaration issued a generic call for international disputes to be resolved through “dialogue, consultation, and diplomacy” without mentioning Ukraine.
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disputes → add → Ukraine
However, BRICS leaders criticised unilateral sanctions not authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
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leaders → criticise → Council
“We call for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter,” the statement said.
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statement → call → Charter
The position is significant for Russia, which has faced extensive Western sanctions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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which → face → 2022
India, meanwhile, has maintained close relations with Moscow, importing oil from Russia amid disruption to global oil supplies since the US-Israel war on Iran broke out.
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war → maintain → Iran
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Xi and Modi offered their services for peace talks on Ukraine, and that Putin welcomed their readiness, state news agency TASS reported.
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TASS → say → readiness
Last year, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for its purchase of Russian crude.
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Trump → impose → crude
India has since cut down its imports of Russian crude oil.
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India → cut → oil
Support for Palestinian statehood
BRICS adopted much more explicit language on Palestine.
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BRICS → adopt → Palestine
The declaration expressed “firm opposition” to the forced displacement of Palestinians and to attempts to change the geography or demography of the occupied Palestinian territory.
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declaration → express → territory
It called for an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, unhindered humanitarian access, support for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and full UN membership for Palestine.
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It → call → Palestine
The bloc also reiterated its support for a two-state solution and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
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bloc → reiterate → capital
…and 10 more, not listed.
