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Doval hosts the BRICS security chiefs as India chairs the bloc in 2026

Doval hosts the BRICS security chiefs as India chairs the bloc in 2026

The 16th NSAs' meeting in Delhi exposes the bloc's fault lines — China draws lessons from the Iran war while Tehran demands a stand on 'state terrorism' — ahead of a September Modi summit

Leaders·Conflicts· active The Long Game·Who Decides ·12 takes ·updated Jun 24, 2026

Summary

India holds the Brics chairship for 2026 — its fourth — under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." NSA Ajit Doval chaired the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting in New Delhi on 22-23 June 2026, the marquee security event of the chairship, themed on "non-traditional security challenges" spanning terrorism, cyber, energy and food security and terrorist use of emerging technologies. Narendra Modi hosted the visiting security chiefs and urged deeper cooperation "in a changing global landscape." Attendees included Russia's Sergey Shoigu and China's Wang Yi; Doval held bilaterals with Brazil, Ethiopia, South Africa and Wang Yi, which the MEA called "constructive." Fault lines surfaced: Iran pushed for a stand on "state terrorism" after the US-Iran war while China drew its own lessons. The meeting feeds an 18th BRICS leaders' summit reported for 12-13 September 2026 in New Delhi.

By the numbers

  • 22-23 June 2026 — 16th BRICS NSA meeting, New Delhi.
  • 4th — India's BRICS chairship (after 2012, 2016, 2021).
  • 12-13 September 2026 — reported dates for the 18th BRICS leaders' summit, New Delhi.
  • Key delegations — Russia (Shoigu), China (Wang Yi), South Africa, Brazil, Iran, UAE.
  • 3 — Doval sideline bilaterals on 22 June (Brazil, Ethiopia, South Africa), plus China.

Why it matters

The chairship is Narendra Modi's Global-South platform, run in parallel with a US trade deal and a China thaw — a balancing act on display as Doval meets Wang Yi while courting Washington. The visible Iran-China split over "state terrorism" exposes how far the bloc is from a common security line.

What to watch

  • Whether the September leaders' summit in Delhi firms up on the reported dates and what Modi tables.
  • How far the Doval-Wang Yi "normalisation" track translates into concrete border or trade moves.
  • Whether BRICS reaches any common language on terrorism after the Iran-China divergence.
  • Russia's role via Shoigu as the bloc positions on the Ukraine and Iran wars.