“You’ve added a number of members who don’t get along with each other,” he said, describing India’s challenge as bringing together countries with a “wide range of views and positions on the global order.”
Trump has also actively opposed the BRICS countries, especially their efforts to reduce global trade’s dependence on the US dollar, commonly known as de-dollarization.
He has often warned the group against trying to come up with an alternative currency or take measures to weaken the dollar’s dominance in world trade.
As one such threat, Trump said in November 2024 that the BRICS countries would face “100% tariffs” if they supported another currency to replace the “mighty US dollar.”
What can a group realistically do under these circumstances?
The geopolitical and economic weight of the BRICS has grown significantly over the past decade. While the group will not take an overtly anti-American or anti-Western position, it will seek to build on its existing achievements and demonstrate that it can become an alternative bloc to the G20 and G7.
According to BBC Monitoring analysis, the BRICS countries currently account for 49% of the world’s population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of international trade.
His most tangible achievement remains the New Development Bank, which has approved billions of dollars for infrastructure and development projects, many of them in the global south.
The group also created a $100 billion reserve fund to help members facing financial crises, although it has yet to be tested.
Leaders are also likely to explore ways to simplify cross-border payments in local currencies. This will be of particular interest to Moscow and Tehran, which face severe US sanctions.
BRICS is also expected to continue to position itself as the voice of developing countries, collectively pushing for reforms of institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which many developing countries say do not accurately reflect the new world order.
For India in particular, the summit represents an opportunity to bolster its claim to leadership in the global South.
Many of Delhi’s own foreign policy priorities, including multilateralism, a more multipolar world, greater representation of developing countries and freer global trade, are closely linked to the broader BRICS agenda.
But India will also have to find ways to circumvent China’s significant influence in the BRICS countries and its stronger presence in most developing countries.
The Modi government is focusing heavily on becoming “a leader or voice of the global South,” Kugelman says. But India’s efforts have had “limited success” in penetrating deeper into Africa and Latin America, where China has had more success.
Since most BRICS members come from developing countries, Kugelman says the enlarged group gives India an opportunity to deepen ties with countries such as Ethiopia, Brazil and Indonesia and strengthen its position in Africa and Latin America.