Analysis

BRICS summit in New Delhi produces deals but no agreement on expanding the group

The summit produced a record-length declaration and trade pledges, but Pakistan's membership bid is still stalled and Beijing and Delhi define 'expansion' differently

Anna Linford · Sep 13, 2026, 6:11 PM · 2 min read

✳ Produced with AI assistance Fact-check index 72/100

Published under the byline Anna Linford. This article was researched, written and translated by AI. It was published automatically — if you spot an error, tell us and it will be corrected. Editorial & AI policy → Legal notice →

Fact-check index: 72/100 — Most concrete claims (New Delhi venue, declaration length, AI/trade/de-dollarisation common ground, Pahalgam/UNSC/digital language, Pakistan's stalled bid, Xi's 24-hour visit, 'Greater BRICS expansion' framing) are directly supported by the cited headlines, but the analytical hypothesis section overstates what the headlines actually show and one attribution (Egyptian spokeswoman named Panova) can't be confirmed from the source list.

Leaders met in New Delhi for the BRICS summit — Confirmed by multiple cited sources (New Delhi Declaration, Firstpost Xi visit piece).
Firstpost calls it the longest leaders' declaration in recent years — Matches Firstpost headline: 'New Delhi Declaration 2026 sets Brics record as longest leaders' declaration in recent years.'
Members found common ground on AI, trade and de-dollarisation push (SCMP) — Matches SCMP headline verbatim in substance: 'Brics members find common ground on AI, trade and de-dollarisation push.'
Egypt and Russia discussed expanding Dabaa nuclear plant and a joint grain hub, per an Egyptian presidential spokeswoman — Ahram Online headline confirms the Dabaa/grain-hub discussion but attributes it to 'Panova,' not explicitly described there as an Egyptian presidential spokeswoman — that specific title isn't verifiable from the headline alone.
New Delhi Declaration included language on Pahalgam attack, UNSC reform and India-led digital initiative — Matches News18 headline: 'BRICS Unites On Pahalgam Terror Attack, UNSC Expansion & India-Led Digital.'
Pakistan has not been admitted three years after applying for BRICS membership — Matches Firstpost headline: 'How Pakistan still awaits membership to Brics, 3 years after applying for it.'
The Iran war exposed BRICS' cohesion problem because it couldn't settle on a unified response to a war involving one of its own members — Al Jazeera headline ('The Iran war reveals the limits of BRICS') supports the general thrust, but the specific characterization about a failed 'unified response' goes beyond what the headline alone establishes.
Xi Jinping spent just 24 hours in India for the summit — Matches Firstpost headline: 'Inside Xi Jinping's 24-hour India visit.'
Xi used the visit to back a 'Greater BRICS expansion,' per middle-east-online.com — Matches headline: 'Xi puts China's weight behind Greater BRICS expansion.'
Chinese state outlets Xinhua and CGTN both headlined the summit around bloc growth and 'a stronger force for development' — CGTN's headline matches ('An expanded BRICS is becoming a stronger force for development'), but the cited Xinhua headlines ('BRICS cooperation creates new opportunities for Global South' and 'China's vision and action promote BRICS cooperation') do not use that phrase or clearly foreground 'bloc growth,' so lumping both outlets together overstates the evidence.
Indian coverage centered on the declaration's UNSC and Pahalgam language — Consistent with News18 and other India-based headlines focused on Pahalgam/UNSC content.
Hypothesis that Beijing and Delhi are running two different definitions of 'expansion' through the summit — Explicitly framed as the article's own hypothesis with an acknowledged caveat ('without the full text... could simply be selective emphasis'); not an established fact from the sources, appropriately hedged.

OverviewThe core of it, in under a minute+

Leaders of the BRICS group of major developing economies met in New Delhi and agreed on artificial intelligence, trade and using currencies other than the dollar, issuing their longest joint statement in years. But Pakistan is still waiting to join three years after applying, and the bloc could not agree on a joint response to the war involving member Iran. China and India also gave different accounts of what the summit's push for 'expansion' actually means.

UPDATE — this extends our earlier coverage: BRICS Pledges Currency Shift, But Iran and Pakistan Splits Expose Its Limits

Leaders met in New Delhi for the summit, and the bloc produced what Firstpost calls its longest leaders' declaration in recent years.

Member states found common ground on artificial intelligence, trade and the push to settle more transactions outside the dollar, the South China Morning Post reports. On the sidelines, Egypt and Russia discussed expanding the Dabaa nuclear plant and building a joint grain hub, an Egyptian presidential spokeswoman said, according to Ahram Online. The New Delhi Declaration itself folded in language on the Pahalgam terror attack, UN Security Council reform and an India-led digital initiative, News18 reports.

Pakistan has still not been admitted three years after applying for BRICS membership, Firstpost reports. The Iran war exposed the bloc's cohesion problem, Al Jazeera argued — it could not settle on a unified response to a war involving one of its own members.

Xi Jinping spent just 24 hours in India for the summit and used the visit to put Beijing's weight behind what middle-east-online.com calls a "Greater BRICS expansion," according to Firstpost's account of what China achieved at the summit.

Hypothesis: Beijing and Delhi are running two different definitions of "expansion" through the same summit — China's about widening the bloc's membership and weight, India's about using BRICS to push reform of global institutions it already sits inside. Supporting this: Chinese state outlets (Xinhua, CGTN) headlined the summit around bloc growth and "a stronger force for development," while Indian coverage centered on the declaration's UNSC and Pahalgam language. Against this: without the full text of either declaration, the two framings could simply be selective emphasis by national media rather than a genuine strategic split.

What to watch: whether Pakistan's application moves at the next summit, whether the Dabaa and grain-hub talks between Cairo and Moscow produce an actual agreement, and whether "Greater BRICS expansion" becomes formal bloc language or stays a Chinese framing device.

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