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✍️ Written by Saket Suman The widening war involving the United States, Israel and Iran  has marched from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and  has now begun to unfold within India’s extended strategic neighbourhood. The sinking of an Iranian naval vessel near Sri Lanka, missile exchanges across the Gulf, disruptions to energy flows and airspace closures across major aviation hubs have all brought the conflict closer to India’s economic and security periphery. In moments like these, there is always a temptation for countries to claim the moral high ground or issue strong declaratory positions. But for India, the wiser path may lie in something quieter b u t strategically more consequential. Restraint, Vigilance and the careful use of Multilateral Diplomacy.  So far, New Delhi appears to have largely followed that course. File Photo: EAM Jaishankar India’s response to the crisis has been marked less by rhetoric and more by calibra...

Over the crucial week in February 2026 that hosted AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of high-level meetings with leaders from Europe, South Asia, Central Asia and Latin America, using the convergence in New Delhi to deepen trade alignments, technology partnerships and strategic supply-chain cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world. Representational Image; Via PM NaMo Across the week, Modi met leaders from Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Greece, Switzerland, Estonia, Croatia, Bhutan, Serbia, Kazakhstan and Finland, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while also hosting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and earlier welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron during his February 17–19 visit.  The clustering of meetings underscored how technology diplomacy, trade realignment and supply-chain resilience are converging in India’s external engagement strategy. On February 20, Modi met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara...

India formally launched its BRICS 2026 Chairship in New Delhi on January 13, with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiling the official logo, theme, and website.  Framed around the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” India’s tenure marks the 20th anniversary of the BRICS grouping and comes at a moment of expanding membership and heightened geopolitical complexity. EAM Jaishankar launched preparations for BRICS India 2026 The logo, which incorporates the national colors of all BRICS members and centers around the traditional "Namaste" gesture, was described as a symbol of unity, inclusivity and collaborative intent.  According to the External Affairs Minister, the design reflects India’s approach to blend tradition with modernity, while projecting BRICS as a forum of diverse but convergent interests. Unveiled alongside the logo, the BRICS 2026 website — brics2026.gov.in — will function as a central platform for information...

In an extraordinary virtual meeting held on September 8, 2025, BRICS leaders convened under Brazil’s presidency to articulate a unified position against what they described as growing geopolitical instability, unilateral trade barriers, and systemic failures in global governance.  Image Source: Ayushi Pandey on X Initiated by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the closed-door summit was attended by heads of state and senior officials from Brazil, China, Russia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. At the core of the summit’s agenda was the need to overhaul multilateral institutions, beginning with the United Nations and its Security Council, which BRICS leaders collectively agreed no longer reflected the realities or interests of the wider international community, particularly the Global South.  The timing of the meeting--just weeks before the UN General Assembly, COP-30, and the G20 Leaders’ Summit --was viewed as a...

In a tightly coordinated virtual summit hosted under Brazil’s presidency of BRICS, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva convened leaders from across the bloc on Friday to push for bold reform of international institutions, deeper multilateral engagement, and expanded cooperation among Global South nations amid mounting global instability. Image Source: RT_India The meeting, which lasted over an hour, brought together top leaders from China, Russia, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE. India was represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while Ethiopia sent its Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs. The timing of the summit -- just weeks ahead of key global forums like the 80th United Nations General Assembly, COP-30 in Brazil, and the G20 Leaders’ Summit -- underscores BRICS’s growing ambition to play a more assertive role in shaping global governance. A Reaffirmation of Institutional Reform At the heart of the summit was a shared call to reform mu...

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the BRICS virtual summit on Friday to deliver a forceful message calling for the reform of global governance structures, including the United Nations and its Security Council, while sharply criticizing unilateralism and trade protectionism as threats to global peace and development. Image Source: Mao Ning Xi’s address came amid escalating global tensions, supply chain disruptions, and increasing concern among developing countries over their marginalization in international decision-making.  He identified the BRICS grouping--comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa--as uniquely positioned to lead the charge for a more just and equitable world order. Call for Reformed Multilateralism Xi underscored the growing urgency for systemic reform in global governance, pointing to “hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism” as destabilizing forces.  Without naming any country directly, his remarks clearly referenced the rising wave o...

At a significant moment of geopolitical flux, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar used the platform of the BRICS Leaders’ Virtual Summit to issue a sharp indictment of the global governance system , urging urgent reform of the United Nations and its Security Council , while forcefully condemning the weaponisation of trade and selective sanctions regimes . Image Source: EAM Jaishankar Representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , Jaishankar warned that rising conflicts, systemic inequality, and institutional paralysis have left the multilateral system incapable of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges -- from war and climate change to economic fragmentation. Multilateral System ‘Failing the World’ In his remarks, Jaishankar said the multilateral framework was being tested like never before, citing the pandemic’s aftermath, armed conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, extreme climate events, and ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has embarked on an intensive round of telephone diplomacy following his high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, briefing leaders across Asia, Africa, and Latin America on the summit’s outcome and on prospects for ending the war in Ukraine. Image Source: White House According to official readouts from the Kremlin and regional administrations, Putin spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, and Kyrgyzstan’s Sadir Japarov.  The calls, made over the weekend, were aimed at consolidating support for Russia’s narrative of a constructive dialogue with Washington while highlighting Moscow’s willingness to pursue a negotiated settlement. In India’s case, the Kremlin said both leaders “discussed the prospects for a long-term settlement of the crisis in Ukraine and agreed to continue dialogue on this issu...

In a direct response to rising economic pressure from the United States, India and Brazil today once again stated their strategic alignment through a high-level phone call between their leaders, discussing the next phase of BRICS coordination, bilateral trade expansion, and multilateral economic stability.  The conversation follows a dramatic escalation in Washington’s tariff regime, with both India and Brazil now facing steep U.S. duties and political pressure over their respective engagements with Russia. Image Source: PM NaMo on X The leaders, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,  reviewed outcomes from the Indian prime minister’s state visit to Brazil last month and confirmed a reciprocal visit by the Brazilian president to India in early 2026.  Ahead of that, Brazil’s vice president will lead a senior delegation to India in October for a Trade Monitoring Mechanism dialogue, expected to focus on defense, energy, d...

In a sweeping escalation of the U.S.’s geoeconomic confrontation with key BRICS nations, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an Executive Order doubling tariffs on India, from 25% to 50%, citing New Delhi’s continued import of Russian oil.  The move, grounded in national security law under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), signals a dramatic hardening of Washington’s stance amid a breakdown in post-Cold War economic consensus.  File Photo: GirJPG The order asserts that India, by importing crude oil and petroleum products of Russian origin “directly or indirectly,” is undermining U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.  Trump’s directive states:  “Articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent... This shall stack on top of the existing 25% rate announced earlier this week.” The new tariff regime takes effect 21 days from the order...

A wave of hardening rhetoric and punitive economic measures from Washington has triggered growing resistance across BRICS nations, as Brazil, India, and Russia face what officials describe as “targeted pressure” from the United States under President Donald Trump . On Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated flatly that he would not be calling Trump to discuss escalating trade tensions. “I will not call Trump because he does not want to talk,” Lula told reporters, amid a fresh 50% tariff hike on Brazilian imports by the US . Image Source: PM NaMo on X The standoff follows Washington’s controversial decision to sanction Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act.  The U.S. Treasury accuses de Moraes of leading “politicised prosecutions” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces coup-related charges. Brazil rejected the move as “foreign interference” and reaffirmed the independence of its judiciary. In pa...