# 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

**Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-06-22 · heads: Le jeu long, Qui décide · 12 takes · 4 lenses · 3 regions

## Summary

[India](/fr/entity/india) holds the [Brics](/fr/entity/brics) chairship for 2026 — its fourth — under the theme "Building for
Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." NSA [Ajit Doval](/fr/entity/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](/fr/entity/narendra-modi) hosted the visiting security
chiefs and urged deeper cooperation "in a changing global landscape." Attendees included Russia's
[Sergey Shoigu](/fr/entity/sergey-shoigu) and China's [Wang Yi](/fr/entity/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](/fr/entity/narendra-modi)'s Global-South platform, run in parallel with a
[US trade deal](/fr/n/india-us-trade-pact-2026) and a [China thaw](/fr/n/india-china-border-thaw-shaksgam) — 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.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **Ministry of External Affairs** (India, en) — MEA release on the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting under India's 2026 chairship (22-23 June, New Delhi) — the official record of attendees, agenda (non-traditional security, terrorism, cyber) and Doval's bilaterals.
  Source: https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases?dtl%2F41350%2FBRICS_National_Security_Advisers_Meeting_Under_Indias_Chairship_2223_June_2026=
- **ANI** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://aninews.in/news/world/asia/pm-modi-hosts-brics-security-chiefs-calls-for-deeper-cooperation-in-changing-global-landscape20260623205208/
- **ANI** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://aninews.in/news/world/asia/ajit-doval-welcomes-brics-and-partner-nations-at-16th-national-security-advisers-meeting20260623132238/
- **The Tribune** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/energy-cyber-threats-terrorism-dominate-brics-national-security-advisers-meeting-in-delhi/
- **The Tribune** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/brics-chairship/nsa-ajit-doval-holds-talks-with-senior-brazil-ethiopia-south-africa-security-officials-on-sidelines-of-16th-brics-nsas-meeting
- **Open Magazine** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://openthemagazine.com/world/pm-modi-meets-brics-security-chiefs-calls-for-stronger-global-cooperation
- **Republic World** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://www.republicworld.com/india/india-to-host-brics-nsa-meet-ajit-doval-to-chair-talks-on-global-security-threats-and-tech-risks-2026-06-20-129212
- **Asianet Newsable** (India, en) — 
  Source: https://newsable.asianetnews.com/world/russian-security-chief-sergey-shoigu-in-india-for-brics-nsa-meeting-articleshow-gaq17gc
- **Ratopati** (Nepal, en) — 
  Source: https://english.ratopati.com/story/67557/brics-national-security-advisers-meeting-to-be-held-in-india

### adversarial-independent / bloc fault-lines
- **The Wire** (India, en) — Surfaces the friction beneath the unity optics: China draws its own lessons from the US-Iran war while Iran presses BRICS to condemn 'state terrorism' — showing the bloc is not monolithic on the very security definitions the meeting was meant to align.
  > "At the BRICS NSA meet, China drew lessons from the Iran war while Tehran sought a collective stand on 'state terrorism'."
  Source: https://thewire.in/diplomacy/brics-nsa-meet-china-draws-lessons-iran-war-tehran-seeks-stand-state-terrorism

### Chinese state media
- **CGTN** (China, en) — Beijing's state broadcaster frames the meeting around Wang Yi's bilaterals — notably with Iran's security official — foregrounding China's diplomacy rather than India's chairship, and stressing multipolar cooperation over any India-led agenda.
  > "At the BRICS National Security Meeting, Wang Yi met the top Iranian security official."
  Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-06-23/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDkxMTkx/index.html

### Indian establishment / MEA framing
- **The Tribune** (India, en) — Carries the MEA's account of the Doval-Wang Yi bilateral as 'constructive and forward-looking,' citing 'gradual normalisation' of India-China ties — the official, thaw-affirming framing of a relationship still scarred by 2020.
  > "NSA Doval underlined the importance of constructive, stable bilateral ties to enhance trust and deepen understanding with China."
  Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bilateral-ties/nsa-doval-underlines-importance-of-constructive-stable-bilateral-ties-to-enhance-trust-deepen-understanding-with-china-mea

## Across the graph
- Related: [[india-china-border-thaw-shaksgam]], [[india-us-trade-pact-2026]]
- Entities: Narendra Modi, India, Ajit Doval, Brics, Wang Yi, Sergey Shoigu

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