External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira in New Delhi on Friday as diplomatic engagements intensified ahead of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit.
The meeting comes a day before the main leaders’ summit, scheduled for September 12–13, with India hosting the expanded BRICS grouping in the national capital. Brazil is among the founding members of the bloc, alongside India, Russia, China and South Africa.
Jaishankar, Vieira Discuss BRICS Priorities
The meeting between Jaishankar and Vieira comes at a time when BRICS is seeking to translate its growing membership and economic weight into more practical cooperation.
The New Delhi summit is expected to focus on global governance, multilateralism, trade and investment, technology, food and energy security, disaster resilience and critical supply chains.
The two foreign ministers’ engagement provides an opportunity to discuss shared priorities ahead of negotiations among BRICS leaders.
India and Brazil Share Global South Focus
India and Brazil have increasingly worked together on issues concerning the Global South, including development, multilateral institutions and reform of global governance structures.
Both countries have also sought a greater voice for developing and emerging economies in international decision-making.
That shared outlook gives New Delhi and Brasília considerable scope for coordination within BRICS, particularly on issues where the grouping wants to strengthen the representation of developing countries.
BRICS Faces a Complex Geopolitical Environment
The meeting takes place against a challenging international backdrop.
The expanded BRICS grouping now includes 11 members, bringing together countries with differing geopolitical interests and relationships with major global powers. The ongoing conflict involving Iran has created additional complications, as Iran and the UAE—both BRICS members—have found themselves on opposing sides of the conflict.
The ability of the grouping to find common ground on major international issues will be closely watched during the New Delhi summit.
Trade and Economic Cooperation in Focus
Economic cooperation is another major component of India's BRICS presidency.
New Delhi has been pushing for stronger trade links, resilient supply chains, improved payment connectivity and greater cooperation in technology and innovation.
The BRICS Business Forum has also placed emphasis on making economic cooperation more practical for businesses, including through discussions on local-currency trade and payment-system connectivity.
These issues are particularly relevant for India and Brazil, two large emerging economies with significant agricultural, industrial and services sectors.
Brazil’s Role in the Expanded BRICS
Brazil remains an important voice within BRICS and has traditionally emphasised multilateralism and greater representation for developing countries.
Its engagement with India can therefore help shape discussions on the future direction of the grouping as it expands beyond its original five-member structure.
For New Delhi, maintaining coordination with Brazil also strengthens its broader effort to position BRICS as a platform for cooperation among emerging economies rather than as an exclusively geopolitical grouping.
Leaders Prepare for Key New Delhi Summit
The ministerial-level meeting comes as New Delhi prepares to host leaders from across the expanded BRICS membership.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders are expected to participate in the summit, while the event will address both economic priorities and major global and regional developments.
For India, the summit represents a major diplomatic opportunity as it seeks to balance economic cooperation, strategic autonomy and its wider engagement with the Global South.
Focus Shifts to Summit Outcomes
With the leaders’ meeting beginning on September 12, attention will now turn to whether BRICS can convert broad areas of agreement into concrete initiatives.
The Jaishankar-Vieira meeting is part of the wider diplomatic consultations taking place before those decisions are finalised.
The outcome of the New Delhi summit will be closely watched for progress on economic cooperation, global governance reform, technology, supply-chain resilience and the bloc’s response to current geopolitical challenges.
