BRICS Summit 2026 to be held in New Delhi with expanded participation and tight security arrangements

File Photo: BRICS Summit 2026

The 18th Brics Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with leaders of the expanded grouping set to discuss global governance, multilateralism, trade, investment, technology, food and energy security, health, disaster resilience and critical supply chains. The summit will also take up major global and regional developments, including geopolitical conflicts and disruptions to global trade and energy routes. The summit is set to begin on Saturday, September 12, with a closed-door meeting of BRICS member countries at 2.35 pm on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism”. Leaders will then visit the Bharat Innovates Exhibition at 4.25 pm, followed by the official family photograph and a joint tree-planting ceremony at 5.05 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a gala dinner for the participating leaders at 7.30 pm. On Sunday, September 13, leaders of BRICS member countries, partner countries and outreach invitees will begin arriving at 9.55 am. The official group photograph is scheduled for 10.35 am, followed by the main open session at 10.50 am, titled “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”. The summit will conclude with the New Delhi Declaration.

Delhi turns into a security fortress

With a large number of foreign leaders and senior dignitaries converging on the capital, Delhi has been placed under a multilayered security grid for the summit. Around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed, while 500 CCTV cameras have been installed across key locations for round-the-clock surveillance. Security arrangements are particularly tight around the diplomatic enclave and the hotels where visiting leaders will stay. China, Russia and Iran have been allotted separate hotels, with security teams from the respective countries also reaching Delhi ahead of their presidents. The heightened security measures extend beyond the summit venue. The DGCA has restricted certain flying activities across seven northern states, while the use of light and micro-light aircraft, UAVs and similar aerial vehicles has been prohibited within a 300-km radius of Delhi for 52 hours from Friday. Traffic and public movement are also expected to be regulated around key routes and venues during the summit. The New Delhi railway station will see changes to train operations over the summit period, including cancellations, diversions, rescheduling and regulation of services. The summit is expected to draw a sizable international media contingent, with around 1,200-1,300 journalists expected to cover the event. Delhi has also been decked up for the summit, with Bharat Mandapam at the centre of the two-day diplomatic gathering.

Who arrives when

The following is the arrival schedule provided for media coordination, with ETAs and designated airports:September 10

Join conversation

Share your thoughts in the comments

Be respectful · TOI community guidelines

9:50pm: Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Brazil — T3, IGI Airport

September 11

1.15am: Vladimir Putin, President — Russia — AFS Palam (Arrived)

4.10am: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General — WHO — T3, IGI Airport

8.25am: Zou Jiayi, Presidet — AIIB — T3, IGI Airport

8.45am: Mario Lubetkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Uruguay — T3, IGI Airport

9.05am: Cyril Ramaphosa, President — South Africa — T3, IGI Airport

9.15am: Jessica Alupo, Vice President — Uganda — T3, IGI Airport

1.25pm: Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General — United Nations — T3, IGI Airport

2.00pm: Dilma Rousseff, President — NDB — T3, IGI Airport

2:00pm: Masoud Pezeshkian, President — Iran — AFS Palam

2:45pm: Kashim Shettima, Vice President — Nigeria — AFS Palam

5:35pm: Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President — Egypt — AFS Palam

5:50pm: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi — UAE — AFS Palam

6:40pm: Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister — Malaysia — AFS Palam

7:30pm: Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister — Ethiopia — AFS Palam

8:45pm: Evariste Ndayishimiye, President — Burundi — AFS Palam

9:00pm: Prabowo Subianto, President — Indonesia — AFS Palam

10:00pm: Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President — Philippines — AFS Palam

10:50pm: Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Cuba — T3, IGI Airport

11:35pm: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General — WTO — T3, IGI Airport

September 12

5:35am: Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Belarus — T3, IGI Airport

11:05am: Le Minh Hung, Prime Minister — Vietnam — T3, IGI Airport

12:25pm: Xi Jinping, President — China — AFS Palam

3:30pm: Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Bahrain — T3, IGI Airport

4:10pm: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President — Kazakhstan — AFS Palam

9:00pm: Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs — Saudi Arabia — AFS Palam

The big arrivals

Putin was the first major head of state to arrive, landing at AFS Palam early morning on September 11. PM Modi is also scheduled to meet the Russian president today. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is arriving at Palam at 2 pm, is scheduled to meet PM Modi in the evening. Xi Jinping arrives at 12.25 pm on September 12, with the Chinese president's visit marking his first trip to India in seven years. PM Modi and Xi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at 6 pm on Saturday. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are among the other prominent arrivals listed in the schedule.

End of Article