Trump’s Shadow Affects Brics Summit in Delhi, Modi Plays High‑Stakes Diplomacy
The BRICS summit in Delhi this weekend will see leaders from eleven countries, including India, China, and Russia, convene under a backdrop of economic uncertainty provoked by U.S. tariffs and the Iran war. Although the United States is not a BRICS member, the political and economic policies of former President Donald Trump continue to influence the group’s deliberations and agenda.
According to experts, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi must walk a tightrope; the country is negotiating a trade pact with the U.S. while also hosting a summit that could expose divisions on the U.S. tariff threat and the future of global trade. The global economic interdependence offered by the BRICS agenda clashes with the U.S.’s trade‑war stance, leaving India with the difficult task of not alienating Washington while pursuing its own interests.
The group’s expansion – now incorporating the UAE and Iran – has heightened its potential impact but also deepened its cleavages. Russia and Iran are likely to push for stronger opposition to U.S. policies, whereas China and the UAE may be reluctant to jeopardise their ties with Washington. As the United Arab Emirates hosts U.S. military bases, it is unlikely to support positions that could fuel Tehran’s claim of US aggression.
Brics’ internal power dynamics mean that a unified stand against U.S. policy is improbable. Reports suggest that any criticism will remain “vague or indirect”, chosen to mitigate divergent interests within the group. While the group’s economic clout has expanded – representing 49% of world population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of international trade – a shared, outspoken opposition to the U.S. is unlikely.
The summit is also an arena for bilateral negotiations. Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, with their careful dialogue reflecting the slow reset of ties between the two nations. Additionally, a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will bring the Ukraine war into focus, a subject that has tested Indian diplomacy in the last months.
While the summit seeks to announce concrete steps – such as a new development bank, a contingency reserve fund, and cross‑border payment initiatives – it must also navigate conflict‑prone issues like the Iran war and U.S. sanctions over limited‑use national security concerns.
India’s host role is not only a diplomatic exercise; it is an assertion of its place on the world stage. The summits provide an opportunity to reinforce India’s claim to leadership in the Global South, a narrative the government has vigorously promoted. But Modi will need to negotiate the influence of China and the complex inter‑regional tensions presented by the newly expanded BRICS membership.
In short, the Delhi gathering is a litmus test of whether the BRICS alliance can move beyond a talk shop and produce actions that signify a serious, alternative bloc to the G20 and G7. The outcome will be of great interest to Washington, which will monitor the dialogue for any shift in global trade dynamics.
