BRICS Summit 2026 Leaders: Putin, Xi and Who Is Attending in New Delhi?

The list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders is taking shape ahead of the September 12-13 summit in New Delhi, which will see India hosting the 18th BRICS Summit as the chair of the BRICS in 2026.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to attend the event, according to Russian officials, with Chinese President Xi Jinping expected in New Delhi. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is reportedly traveling to India for the summit.

Ahead of the summit with several weeks to go, the final list of participants is not yet available. But the presence – or expected presence – of leaders from Russia, China, Iran and other leading BRICS economies is adding a lot of weight to the event.

From India’s perspective, the summit will also mark the culmination of a year-long BRICS chairship with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

As the summit is approaching, increasing attention is being paid to a very simple question – who will be in New Delhi?

BRICS Summit 2026 Leaders: Who Is Confirmed So Far?

The final list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders has not been published yet.

This point is important. Weeks prior to major international summits, attendance is traditionally revealed piece by piece by the governments and presidential offices.

At the moment, Putin’s participation in the September 12-13 summit in New Delhi has been confirmed by the Russian side. Xi is expected to attend the event, with Pezeshkian’s visit being reported by sources familiar with the matter.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will represent India as the host country.

More confirmations will probably emerge in the coming weeks.

Vladimir Putin Set to Attend New Delhi Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be one of the most prominent BRICS Summit 2026 leaders.

According to Russian officials, Putin will attend the September 12-13 summit in New Delhi.

This fact adds a great deal of significance to the Putin BRICS Summit 2026 story.

Russia sees BRICS as a valuable platform for cooperation with the major emerging economies, in the sphere of trade, financial cooperation, and the international system as a whole.

Putin’s participation in India will also highlight the important Russia-India relationship.

India and Russia maintain close ties in the fields of defense, energy, trade, and multilateral diplomacy, while India is developing relations with Western countries and other major powers.

Whether Putin and Modi will hold a bilateral meeting during the summit has not yet been officially announced.

If a meeting is announced, it will be one of the most closely watched bilateral meetings during the event.

Xi Jinping Expected in New Delhi

China’s President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend, although his participation should not yet be described as officially confirmed by China.

Reuters reported on August 12 that Xi is expected to attend the summit in New Delhi as India and China continue managing a complex relationship defined by trade, regional competition, and the border dispute.

That makes the Xi Jinping BRICS Summit 2026 angle extremely important.

Foreign Ministry of India has again stated that peace in the Himalayan region remains critical for the overall relations between the two Asian countries. These comments came following reports about new tensions in the Himalayan region, although Indian defense officials rejected the reports as unfounded.

If Xi travels to India, the focus will be extended far beyond the formal BRICS agenda.

Any interaction between Modi and Xi will be carefully analyzed as an indication of future India-China relations.

However, a formal meeting between Modi and Xi cannot be expected unless it is officially announced.

Iran’s Pezeshkian Also Expected at the Summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to attend the summit of the BRICS Summit 2026 leaders.

People familiar with the matter have stated that Pezeshkian will travel to New Delhi for the September 12-13 summit, while Iranian sources have separately stated that he plans to attend the summit.

His expected attendance is connected to the increased attempts of Iran to obtain a larger role within BRICS and establish closer economic ties with fellow BRICS members.

In 2024, Iran joined the expanded BRICS, using it as a platform to push for cooperation in trade, finance, and international affairs.

Pezeshkian’s attendance in New Delhi will be happening against the backdrop of the increasing tensions in the region involving Iran.

Modi at the Centre of India’s BRICS Year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the BRICS Summit 2026 leaders as India is concluding its year as the chair of BRICS.

India’s 2026 BRICS chairship is based on four main themes – resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability. The official BRICS India platform describes the BRICS as an organization that brings together 11 major emerging markets and developing countries.

These countries include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Being the host of such a diverse group, India plays an unusual diplomatic role.

India maintains a close strategic relationship with Russia, a complex but important relationship with China, a growing relationship with Gulf states, and good ties with Western economies.

This summit provides India with an opportunity to gather all these relationships in one place.

Why Modi, Putin and Xi in One Room Matters

The possibility of Modi, Putin, and Xi being in one room is an important reason why the BRICS Summit 2026 leaders story is receiving a lot of attention beyond BRICS itself.

India, Russia, and China are the most influential members of BRICS, but their bilateral relations are going in different directions.

Russia and India maintain a close strategic partnership.

Russia and China increase their cooperation politically and economically.

India and China are major economic partners, while also dealing with difficult security and border questions.

This fact means that the informal talks, bilateral meetings, and diplomatic signals by the leaders can matter as much as the summit itself.

An Expanded BRICS Changes the Leaders’ Table

The list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders will differ greatly from the BRICS summits that were held in a few years ago.

The BRICS is no longer composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Expansion of BRICS resulted in Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia joining the organization, with Saudi Arabia being listed among the 11 BRICS members on India’s official website.

It means that the geographical coverage of BRICS has widened significantly.

It also makes the summit more complicated.

The countries around the table do not have identical economic systems, foreign policies, and strategic interests. It is the task that will face the summit in New Delhi.

Bangladesh Has Also Been Invited

The list of participants may include non-BRICS countries as well.

According to Indian media reports, India invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to the September summit.

India has also considered inviting regional organizations as guests at the summit, including BIMSTEC, ASEAN, and the Arab League.

This invitation fits into the overall strategy of India to use the BRICS chairship as an opportunity to involve countries and institutions beyond the BRICS membership.

The guest list could become one of the important aspects of the upcoming summit.

What Will the Leaders Discuss?

While the list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders is still developing, several themes are already forming the expectations about the summit.

One of them is economic and financial cooperation.

BRICS countries have been discussing a potential BRICS payment system, greater use of national currencies and ways to improve cross-border transactions.

These discussions received additional attention recently as central banks consider the possibility of linking the fast payment systems and digital currencies.

Trade, development, geopolitical tensions, and the role of the emerging economies in global institutions will also be on the agenda.

India has focused its BRICS chairship around practical cooperation rather than a certain geopolitical issue, with the official agenda covering economic, political, and people-to-people cooperation.

Could Modi, Putin and Xi Hold Separate Meetings?

One of the biggest stories of the upcoming summit may emerge from the meetings taking place on its sidelines.

A meeting between Modi and Putin will attract attention as an indicator of changes in India-Russia relations.

A meeting between Modi and Xi will attract even more attention due to the complex state of India-China relations.

A meeting between Putin and Xi in New Delhi will also attract international attention as the relationship between Russia and China is continuing to expand.

However, for the moment, none of these specific bilateral meetings can be described as confirmed unless they are announced by the governments.

Summit schedules are constantly changed until the last moment.

Why the Attendance List Matters

The final list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders will tell a certain story itself.

Attendees of a major summit are not simply participating in the summit. Their attendance is a clear sign that a certain forum is important enough to visit it. It can also provide opportunities for diplomacy which could take months otherwise.

For Russia, New Delhi is an important platform for engagement with the emerging economies.

For China, it is a BRICS forum, and also an opportunity to bring Xi to India in a delicate moment in the bilateral relations.

For the newer members like Iran, it is an opportunity to get access to a wide network of economic and political cooperation.

And for India, the summit is an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to host leaders with very different strategic interests.

The Complete Story Is Yet to Be Told

With nearly a month to go before the summit, the list of BRICS Summit 2026 leaders remains a developing story.

Putin’s participation in the September 12-13 summit in New Delhi has been confirmed by the Russian side. Xi is expected to attend the event. Pezeshkian is also traveling to India. More confirmations from BRICS governments are expected before September 12.

The confirmation of the attendance will matter because the 2026 summit is taking place in the unusual period of global diplomacy.

BRICS is expanding. Its financial agenda becomes wider. Relations between several of its most influential members are changing.

That means the New Delhi summit will not be judged only by its final declaration.

It will also be judged by who attends, who meets whom, and what these meetings reveal about the next step of BRICS.