Archive · 13 Sep 2026
BRICS Declaration Highlights India’s Diplomatic Leadership Amid Opposition Questions
BRICS countries agreed on a joint statement during a meeting led by India.
The statement praised India’s way of managing the group.
It called for countries to use talks and diplomacy to solve disputes.
The agreement was reached even though Iran and the UAE disagreed about the conflict in West Asia.
Supporters of the Indian government say this shows that India achieved an important diplomatic result.
Congress leader P. Chidambaram had earlier said that recent BRICS meetings had not produced clear benefits.
A separate report said India supplied much of Russia’s imported oil products in August.
This shows that BRICS involves both diplomacy and complicated energy relationships.
BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration by consensus, including Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
The declaration praised India’s pragmatic, inclusive and development-oriented leadership during its BRICS chairship.
India helped overcome differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict through negotiations.
P. Chidambaram had questioned whether recent BRICS summits produced tangible benefits for India.
CREA said India supplied 70% of Russia’s oil product imports in August, including gasoline from Vadinar refinery.
- Who
- BRICS leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping; Congress leader P. Chidambaram is also central to the political debate.
- What
- BRICS adopted the New Delhi Declaration and praised India’s leadership, while opposition criticism about the grouping’s tangible benefits continued.
- When
- The declaration was adopted at the recent BRICS summit; the energy-import figures cited cover August and the first eight months of 2026.
- Where
- The summit was held in New Delhi; the reported fuel transfers involved Vadinar, the Damietta Lightering Zone off Egypt and Russia’s Arctic port of Beloe More.
- Why
- India sought consensus on international issues and practical cooperation while balancing relationships with Russia, China, Iran, Gulf countries and the West.
Government Supporters
Opposition Critics
Value of the BRICS summit
Government Supporters
The government and its supporters view the consensus-based New Delhi Declaration as a significant diplomatic achievement for India.
Opposition Critics
P. Chidambaram questioned what India had gained from the recent BRICS summits and said he had not seen tangible benefits.
India’s BRICS leadership
Government Supporters
The declaration praised India’s balanced, practical, inclusive and development-oriented approach during its chairship.
Opposition Critics
The opposition criticism implies that praise and diplomatic statements should be matched by clear, tangible outcomes for India.
Energy cooperation
Government Supporters
The increase in India’s oil-product supplies to Russia is presented as evidence of strengthening energy ties during a period of complex geopolitical relations.
Opposition Critics
The article cautions that the energy developments should not be presented as a direct outcome of the BRICS summit.
- Declaration
- The New Delhi Declaration was adopted by consensus by BRICS leaders.
- Leadership assessment
- The declaration described India’s approach as balanced, practical, actionable, inclusive, development-oriented and people-centred.
- Diplomatic issue
- Negotiations helped overcome differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict.
- Opposition criticism
- P. Chidambaram said he had not seen tangible benefits from the previous two or three BRICS meetings.
- Russian imports
- Russia imported 172,000 tonnes of oil products in August, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
- Indian supply share
- India accounted for 70% of Russia’s oil product imports in August, according to the same analysis.
- Vadinar gasoline
- India supplied 120,000 tonnes of gasoline worth 78 million euros, with the cargoes loaded at the Vadinar refinery.