BRICS Adopts New Delhi Declaration as Modi and Xi Offer Peace Roles on Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping offered their services to help broker an end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during high-level diplomatic engagements at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly welcomed the diplomatic overtures from both leaders on the sidelines of the two-day gathering.

The expanded 11-member bloc convened in the Indian capital to negotiate pressing geopolitical challenges, economic cooperation, and global governance reform. The summit produced a sweeping 45-page, 140-point New Delhi Declaration that addresses international security, trade protectionism, sustainable development, and regional stability across the Global South.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed readiness from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to help find a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war. According to state news agency TASS reports cited by international correspondents, Putin engaged in bilateral discussions with both leaders regarding the situation on the ground.

During their closed-door meetings, Modi reiterated India's consistent stance that dialogue and diplomacy remain the sole viable path forward in resolving international armed conflicts. The diplomatic outreach occurred as global powers continue seeking pathways to de-escalation while supply chains and maritime commerce face persistent disruptions linked to ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Securing unanimous consensus for the New Delhi Declaration required intensive negotiations that extended into the early hours of Saturday. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao noted that New Delhi achieved significant diplomatic success by forging a common text despite deep strategic divisions among members, particularly concerning regional conflicts involving Iran and the Gulf states.

The declaration addressed the escalating crisis in West Asia by calling for maximum restraint, civilian protection, and unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza while reaffirming support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders. The grouping managed to adopt common positions on global trade and financial resilience even as individual member states maintain varying strategic alignments with Western powers.

On the bilateral front, Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on stabilizing India-China relations from a long-term perspective. Both leaders emphasized mutual respect and predictability while committing to a fair and mutually acceptable resolution of outstanding boundary questions without allowing differences to devolve into open disputes.

Modi and Putin reviewed bilateral strategic cooperation across defence, energy, civil nuclear technology, and critical minerals, setting a target to expand bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030. Modi also presented Putin with a Russian translation of the classical Tamil work Thirukkural, written by poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, aimed at deepening cultural ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

The New Delhi Declaration outlined concrete multilateral mechanisms designed to enhance economic independence and reduce vulnerabilities in international commerce. Member states endorsed efforts to promote cross-border trade settlements using local currencies while strengthening interoperability among national payment and messaging architectures.

The grouping also established institutional networks covering digital agriculture, urban mobility, small business incubation, and scientific research repositories. Furthermore, members agreed on a Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework and a technical action plan for global value chains spanning from 2026 to 2030, aimed at mitigating the impact of unilateral tariffs and coercive economic measures.

Addressing the plenary sessions, Prime Minister Modi argued that the Global South must transition from being a rule-taker to becoming a rule-shaper in international affairs. The summit reaffirmed collective support for comprehensive United Nations reforms, including expanded representation for developing nations within the UN Security Council.

Leaders underscored the growing economic weight of the bloc, which now accounts for nearly half of the global population and approximately 40 percent of global gross domestic product. The summit concluded with an emphasis on translating policy documents into time-bound actions to ensure measurable developmental impact across all member states as the grouping enters its third decade.

Implementation details remain anchored in the newly adopted New Delhi Declaration and the established working groups tasked with executing the 140-point framework. Member states are scheduled to advance discussions on local currency trade settlements, critical mineral supply chains, and the operationalization of the newly launched digital and agricultural centers of excellence ahead of upcoming multilateral engagements.