BRICS Summit 2026: Xi Jinping’s Plane Enters Indian Airspace, PM Narendra Modi Meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

New Delhi: Preparations for the 18th BRICS Summit have been completed in New Delhi. Leaders of BRICS countries are gathering in this meeting to be held on Saturday and Sunday i.e. 12th and 13th September at Bharat Mandapam. Before the start of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate meetings with leaders of many countries. In these meetings, issues related to India's bilateral relations as well as defence, trade, investment and strategic cooperation were discussed.

What time will BRICS Summit start today?

The formal programme of the 18th BRICS Summit will start at 2 pm on Saturday. The first session to be held in the Bharat Mandapam will discuss inclusive global governance and strengthening multilateralism.

After this the BRICS leaders will go to see the ‘India Innovates’ exhibition. Family photo and joint tree planting programme has been organised in the evening. The day will conclude with a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What happened to Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim?

Before the summit, Prime Minister Modi met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Hyderabad House. There was discussion between the two leaders on furthering the relations between India and Malaysia.

Possibilities of increasing cooperation in many important areas were discussed in the meeting. Semiconductor sector also remained one of the major topics of discussion. Emphasis was laid on further strengthening economic and technical cooperation between the two countries.

What issues were discussed with Ethiopia?

PM Modi also held a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali. The two leaders reviewed the strategic partnership between India and Ethiopia. Apart from defence and security cooperation, economic relations and capacity building were also discussed. There were talks between the two countries on joint training and the possibility of purchasing defence equipment from India. Ethiopia also mentioned investment opportunities for Indian companies. Possibilities were highlighted for Indian companies especially in the mining sector.

Why did PM Modi meet the Crown Prince of UAE?

Prime Minister Modi also held bilateral talks with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Crown Prince of UAE has reached India to participate in the BRICS Summit.

In the meeting of the two leaders, discussions were held to take forward the already ongoing cooperation between India and UAE. UAE's participation on the BRICS platform also makes this meeting special.

What issues will be emphasised in the BRICS Summit this time?

This year, under the chairmanship of India, the theme of BRICS has been kept as “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Through this, focus is being given to pursuing issues related to development, cooperation and stability.

Over 350 meetings and events have been organised in more than 25 cities during India's BRICS Chairmanship. Now the summit will try to convert these discussions into concrete results.

In the two-day meeting, apart from shared priorities, BRICS leaders will also express their views on global and regional developments. India's emphasis will be on strengthening the strategic partnership and taking such decisions whose impact will be visible on the level of development and cooperation.