BRICS leaders meet in India as wars and US tensions test the bloc

NEW DELHI (AP) — Leaders of the BRICS nations were meeting in New Delhi on Saturday for a summit focused on trade, investment and global conflicts, as the bloc seeks a bigger role in shaping the global agenda for emerging and developing countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and counterparts from the other eight BRICS members. The summit comes as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with rising U.S.-China tensions, test the bloc’s ability to find common ground among countries with competing geopolitical interests.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed around the summit venue and other parts of New Delhi, with traffic restrictions and diversions in place.

BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. It has since expanded to 11 members, representing about half the world’s population and a significant share of global economic output. The group has increasingly called for greater representation for developing countries in global institutions.

The leaders are expected to discuss economic cooperation, energy, food security, technology, supply chains and reforms to global institutions. Reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar will also be a priority, with members promoting greater use of their own currencies in trade and payments as well as pushing for alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions.

For India, the summit highlights its effort to maintain strategic ties with Russia and Iran while deepening relations with the U.S. and Europe. New Delhi has sought to balance its longstanding partnerships with Moscow and Tehran with efforts to expand economic, defense and technology ties with Washington and other Western nations.

India has maintained close ties with both Moscow and Tehran despite the war in Ukraine and tensions between Iran and the U.S., while calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. Modi met Putin and Pezeshkian separately in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the summit.

The summit comes as Iran, a member of the expanded BRICS group, is directly involved in the war in the Middle East, putting the bloc’s unity under pressure as its members navigate differing positions on the conflict and relations with the U.S.

A key test for India will be whether it can secure a joint statement from leaders at the summit. Those divisions were evident in May, when BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement over the Iran war, forcing India to issue a chair’s summary instead.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Kristina Solovyova, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, arrives for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Indian Foreign Ministry via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pose for a photo holding an edition of the Tirukkural, written by the 6th-century Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar, during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center right, arrives for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Indian Foreign Ministry via AP)

DUBLIN (AP) — President Donald Trump is arriving Saturday in Dublin, where he'll hold talks with Ireland's president and prime minister, kicking off a weekend visit that's more about a major golf tournament held on a course he owns on the country's Atlantic coast.

The American president is set for separate meetings in Dublin with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin. Trump also plans remarks to U.S. and Irish business leaders at the U.S. ambassador's official residence in Dublin before traveling to his oceanfront golf club in Doonbeg on the other side of the country to watch the Irish Open, which wraps up Sunday.

The visit, the latest example of the blending of Trump's official duties with his personal interests, has gotten under the skin of some Dubliners.

Police put up a cordon around Dublin’s 1,750-acre (700-hectare) Phoenix Park, where he’ll meet Martin, the taoiseach, at the government’s Farmleigh state guesthouse, say hello to the president at her residence, Áras an Uachtaráin , and stop by Deerfield, the U.S. ambassador’s residence.

Some residents expressed annoyance over the disruption.

“He’s causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf,” said taxi driver Christopher Fox, emphatically not a fan of Trump. “The world’s in turmoil and this fella’s down playing golf.”

University student Mina Petrovski said Trump’s “attitudes towards women, towards immigrants, towards minority communities in general are abhorrent.” She said it’s “shameful that the Irish government is welcoming him with open arms.”

Separately, a collection of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations, environmentalists and others plan to demonstrate against Trump in Dublin on Saturday.

Trump was flying to Ireland overnight after observing the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The Republican president spent the two nights before Friday's solemn observance giving lengthy speeches at a political pep rally in Dallas.

Martin invited Trump to visit Ireland when they met at the White House on St. Patrick's Day this year, and Ireland's political leaders will likely see the visit as a chance to maintain warm trans-Atlantic relations despite differences over trade and foreign policy, issues the White House said Trump wants to discuss.

Trump is an avid golfer who plays just about every weekend at clubs he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. His attendance at the Irish Open continues his trend of appearing at high-profile sporting events — and having a hand in organizing some of them in ways that benefit his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have each hosted professional golf tournaments this year.

The Irish Open is the second European Tour event to be held at a Trump property this year. The Nexo Championship was held last month at Trump's golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Last year, Trump went to Scotland for five days to play golf at his club in Turnberry and later inaugurated a new Trump golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. During that visit, he held talks with the British prime minister and the president of the European Commission.

Caroline O'Brien sweeps up outside the Igoe Inn in Doonbeg Village, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Irish Open, in Co Clare, Ireland, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Damien Eagers/PA via AP)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays off the 6th tee on day two of the Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg, Ireland, Friday Sept. 11, 2026. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

A sign welcomes visitors to Doonbeg, Ireland, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the Irish Open Golf. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

A general view of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland after putting on the 14th green on day two of the Irish Golf Open in Doonbeg, Ireland, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)