India's BRICS 2026 Agenda: Balancing China, Russia, and the Expanded Bloc

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, steering an expanded 11-member bloc under its chairmanship with a focus on practical cooperation rather than geopolitical confrontation. New Delhi is prioritizing reformed multilateralism, including UN Security Council expansion and IMF quota changes, while advancing local-currency settlement systems and digital infrastructure like UPI. It seeks constructive engagement with China without making the bloc China-centric, and values Russia for energy security and trade. India frames BRICS as "non-Western" rather than "anti-Western," aiming to balance ties with the US and Europe while managing diverse member interests. The summit's four pillars cover resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability, though consensus remains challenging on sensitive geopolitical issues.