BRICS declaration a significant diplomatic win for India: US South Asia analyst

Speaking on the BRICS Summit 2026 and the New Delhi Declaration, Kugelman said the adoption of a joint declaration by leaders of the BRICS countries marked a major achievement for India, which faced several challenges during its chairship.

"It is a significant diplomatic achievement for India, particularly if we recall that the foreign minister-level BRICS summit earlier this year was not possible to get a joint statement. It was a real struggle. So the fact that you have one now, and one with the top leaders from these countries, certainly qualifies as a major achievement," Kugelman said.

He said India had to navigate several challenges, including the war in Iran and the policies of the United States.

"I had indicated that India would face several challenges. The main ones are how to handle the issue of the war in Iran and how to handle the issue of the US and its policies," he said.

Kugelman said the initial portion of the declaration largely reiterated the core principles of BRICS and was therefore not unexpected.

"The first part of the declaration was the least surprising. It essentially reiterated the core principles of BRICS, which obviously have the support of all members," he said.

However, he noted that references in the declaration to disruptions in the global trade regime, US tariffs and US sanctions could lead to some unhappiness within the US administration.

"I do think that the references to the shocks to the global trade regime and, particularly, the references to US tariffs and US sanctions, might elicit some unhappiness from the administration," Kugelman said.

The BRICS countries on Saturday adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, calling for an immediate end to unilateral economic sanctions and expressing grave concern over rising protectionist policies.

The declaration said the global multilateral trading system had reached a critical crossroads, with increasing trade-restrictive measures that violate World Trade Organisation rules.

The grouping said sudden increases in customs duties, non-tariff barriers and protectionist restrictions disguised as environmental measures threaten international commerce, fuel economic uncertainty and deepen disparities between countries.

BRICS agreed to work towards making the WTO more responsive to trade disruptions while prioritising the economic and development needs of emerging markets and developing countries.

The declaration strongly condemned unilateral and secondary sanctions imposed outside the mandate of the UN Security Council, saying such measures violate international law and the UN Charter and have negative consequences for food security, healthcare and economic development.

The grouping also reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening global economic governance and called for reforms to the Bretton Woods Institutions to make them more effective, inclusive, representative and responsive to the changing global economy.

BRICS further backed WTO reform and called for a stronger, open, equitable, transparent, fair, inclusive, predictable and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.

It also advocated the immediate restoration of an accessible, effective and fully functioning two-tier binding WTO dispute settlement mechanism and called for the appointment of new Appellate Body members without further delay.

The 18th BRICS Summit is being hosted by India in New Delhi on September 12-13 under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. (ANI)