Delhi Hosts BRICS Leaders as War and Energy Prices Test Unity

Leaders from China, Russia, India and several other emerging economies are convening in New Delhi this weekend for a summit of the BRICS grouping. The meeting comes at a time when ongoing wars and sharply higher energy prices are complicating efforts to present a united front.

BRICS was established as a platform allowing major developing economies to coordinate their interests outside traditional Western-led institutions. However, member states frequently hold divergent, and at times conflicting, geopolitical and economic goals.

Unity despite disagreements

Despite these internal tensions, a growing number of countries have shown interest in joining BRICS or deepening cooperation with it. This suggests that member states continue to view the grouping as valuable, even when full consensus on every issue proves elusive.

The wars and energy-price pressures surrounding the summit are straining relations among member states, including major powers such as China, Russia and India, each of which has its own economic and foreign-policy priorities.

The New Delhi summit is being seen as a test of how well BRICS can maintain a common direction when external pressures — wars and volatile energy markets — create friction among its participants.