BRICS at risk of imploding, reveals Delhi meet
BRICS is deeply polarised,
There is a wide rift in the BRICS, of which India is a founding member, due to the war in the Middle East. There was no joint statement after the recent meeting in New Delhi that was described as "very tense". India as the BRICS president will have to do a tight rope walk ahead of the crucial summit in September.
The meeting of deputy foreign ministers and special envoys of the 11-member BRICS bloc in New Delhi last Friday (April 24) ended without a joint statement.
That despite diplomats burning the midnight oil.
MEA's Secretary (South) Neena Malhotra chaired the meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa (BRICS MENA) on 23-24 April 2026 in New Delhi
Spl Mention:
The meeting, held on April 24, was attended by representatives of 10 BRICS members, including both Iran, hit directly by United States and Israel.
It was also attended by UAE, struck by Iranian counter-attacks on US military bases in Gulf countries.
An area in Gaza destroyed after Israeli attacks. The conflicts in the Middle East has led to polarisation with the BRICS even as India holds the presidency. (Image: Reuters/India Today)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a chair’s statement after the discussions, a format typically used when members cannot agree on common language. The statement said participants expressed deep concern on the recent conflict in the Middle East and "offered views and assessments on the matter”.
Pointers:
Indian Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs attempted to tone down references to Israel and Palestine in the draft statement.
** This included softening criticism of Israel's bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon, and removing any mention of "East Jerusalem".
*** Officials pushed to replace direct references to Israel in critiques of operations in the West Bank and Lebanon with the more oblique term "occupying power".
** A section of foreign dignitaries were surprised. They said, New Delhi has earlier agreed to such language at many multilateral fora.
But it is also true India had incorporated similar changes during the India–Arab League Summit held in Delhi in January 2026.
*** In bilateral statements, India stopped using the term "East Jerusalem" in 2017.
A fractured world gets reflected in international fora, and the BRICS, built brick by brick over the years, is no exception. Starting with just five members, including India, 17 years ago, it is now a wall with 10 full-time member countries and 10 partner states.
But the conflicts in the Middle East have exposed the cracks in what should have been a solid wall. That deep schism was revealed at the recent summit in New Delhi, at a time when India is the leader of the bloc by rotation.
The BRICS talks in New Delhi failed to produce a joint statement, and the cause is sharp internal divisions that complicated India's effort to build a consensus. Disputes over the US-Iran war, a standoff between Iran and the UAE, and an alleged resistance to India's so-called changes in the wording on the Israel-Palestine issue led to a stalemate.
India, however, has clarified that there has been no change in its Palestine stance.
The divisions appear ahead of key meetings next month and the summit later this year. India assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2026, and will be the head for a year.
According to the report, the US–Iran War dominated proceedings, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashing over how the conflict should be framed. Both Iran and the UAE are full members, added to the BRICS in 2024.
Iran pushed for language recognising the US and Israel as having initiated the conflict with aerial strikes on February 28, while the UAE insisted on explicitly criticising Iran for attacking a fellow BRICS member. Diplomats described the positions as irreconcilable.
Diplomats called the atmosphere in the meeting "very tense", with delegations taking "maximalist positions".
The discussions became "tedious and prolonged".
The outcome points to an increase in difficulties for India's BRICS presidency this year, and also exposes deep cracks within the BRICS grouping, with member states having widely different goals and unwilling to compromise with each other.
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