Modi likely to attend BRICS-11 summit in Brazil next month, with leaders of Russia, China and developing world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend BRICS summit in Rio, significant for India amid global economic and political dynamics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Rio De Janeiro next month to attend the BRICS summit, sources said here. The gathering is being closely watched by the U.S. Trump administration that sees it as a counterweight to the G-7 group of developed nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend, as well as the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Indonesia.

Mr. Modi’s attendance at the event comes soon after the four-day conflict with Pakistan, and India’s “new normal” on fighting terror. Any joint statement on cross-border terrorism by the largely economic grouping will be significant for India, officials said. Any meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Mr. Modi last met on the sidelines of the previous BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, will also be watched with interest, given China’s support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and plans to reset bilateral ties with the restart of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for Indian pilgrims to Tibet in June.

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In addition, BRICS discussions on the use of alternate or national currencies for trade are likely to trigger reactions in the U.S., given warnings in the past few months by U.S. President Donald Trump against any “de-dollarisation” plans by BRICS, and earlier this week by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said that India’s participation in the BRICS grouping had ruffled feathers in Washington.

Speaking at the USISPF industry forum on Tuesday, Mr. Lutnick said that apart from buying military hardware from Russia, India had “rubbed the U.S. the wrong way” by being a part of BRICS. “[BRICS countries] are saying, ‘Let’s move to not support the dollar, and dollar hegemony…‘ That is not the way to win friends and influence people in America,” he added.

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The BRICS-11 — including original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and new entrants Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and Indonesia — now represent half the world’s population and 39% of global GDP. The G-7, on the other hand — comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union — accounts for about 30% of the world’s GDP.