India welcomes Russia, Iran leaders for BRICS summit overshadowed by war

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are in India for talks ahead of a BRICS summit. The two-day summit, which opens on Saturday, will focus on conflict and economic challenges, with Chinese President Xi Jinping also attending for the first time in six years. The summit, dominated by war and global trade turbulence, is set to be attended by representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, countries with differing positions on the war in the Middle East.

Iranian President Pezeshkian, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday, said that BRICS was established to counter unilateralism. The Gulf conflict is expected to be a central issue during the summit, testing the group's cohesion. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the leaders to the 11-nation summit, while Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has visited Kyiv, expressing gratitude for India's commitment to ending the unjust war.