Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Trump’s Policies Are Strengthening BRICS as India Seeks Consensus
India is hosting an important meeting of BRICS countries.
The group includes countries with different opinions, especially Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Their disagreement prevented foreign ministers from producing a shared statement.
India now wants the larger summit to reach an agreement.
The article says Donald Trump’s policies are making BRICS seem more important to countries seeking alternatives to United States influence.
BRICS is discussing ways to trade more in national currencies instead of relying so heavily on the dollar.
The group is also considering cooperation in technology, payments, supply chains, and connectivity.
The author believes India can work with Western countries while also using BRICS to support a more balanced international system.
India is preparing to lead a difficult BRICS summit amid conflict between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
BRICS foreign ministers failed to issue a joint statement because Iran and the UAE could not reconcile their positions.
The article argues that Donald Trump’s tariffs, sanctions, and unilateral policies are increasing BRICS’s appeal as an alternative platform.
BRICS members are exploring trade in national currencies, alternative payment systems, technology partnerships, and new supply chains.
The author says India’s BRICS membership supports strategic autonomy while preserving close ties with Western countries.
- Who
- India, BRICS members, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, China, Russia, and Donald Trump are central to the article.
- What
- India is seeking consensus at the BRICS summit after the group’s foreign ministers failed to issue a joint statement.
- When
- The article discusses the upcoming New Delhi BRICS summit; no specific date is provided.
- Where
- The summit is to be held in New Delhi, India.
- Why
- The disagreement over the Gulf conflict and wider divisions among BRICS members make consensus difficult, while the author argues that United States policies are increasing the group’s importance.
BRICS Supporters
BRICS Critics
India’s membership
BRICS Supporters
Supporters say BRICS gives India strategic autonomy, greater international manoeuvrability, and a platform to seek reforms benefiting developing countries.
BRICS Critics
Critics argue that BRICS can hamper India’s relationship with the West and question what India has gained from membership.
BRICS relevance
BRICS Supporters
Supporters say Trump’s tariffs, sanctions, and unilateral policies are making BRICS more significant to countries seeking alternatives to United States dominance.
BRICS Critics
Critics point to BRICS’s internal divisions, perceived Chinese domination, India-China tensions, and the group’s limited cohesion.
Future of the grouping
BRICS Supporters
The author argues that BRICS can gradually build cooperation in finance, technology, supply chains, and connectivity despite its current limitations.
BRICS Critics
Naysayers argue that Russia and China could seek accommodation with the United States, potentially leaving BRICS and India marginalised if a new great-power grouping emerges.
- Host country
- India is chairing the BRICS summit.
- Immediate challenge
- Iran and the United Arab Emirates could not reconcile their positions at the foreign ministers meeting.
- Statement outcome
- The BRICS foreign ministers meeting failed to issue a joint statement.
- Trump’s BRICS policy
- Donald Trump has threatened BRICS countries with 100% tariffs if they move toward de-dollarisation.
- Currency policy
- BRICS seeks to promote trade in national currencies, although the article says it has no formal de-dollarisation agenda.
- Summit participants
- The article says Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Iran’s president are expected to participate.
- Proposed cooperation
- BRICS members are considering technology partnerships, new supply chains, connectivity projects, and greater cooperation in digital public infrastructure.