On July 2, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for a five-nation trip across two continents – Africa and Latin America – in a step to strengthen India’s relations with Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia and take forward its commitment with countries in the global South. The eight-day visit will take the PM to Rio de Janeiro, to attend the 17th BRICS Summit and a state visit to the country.
These bilateral and multilateral engagements will provide PM Modi the opportunity to share and exchange his views with leaders on a wide range of issues including mutual and regional issues besides assessment of the current situation in the world. The ongoing wars – Russia and Ukraine and Israel-Hamas besides the recently arrived fragile peace between Iran and Israel.
Before moving on to the importance that India attaches to each of these countries, the presence of PM Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit is noted. India is set to take over the presidency of BRICS in 2026.
BRICS Summit
The current BRICS Summit motto is: “Strengthening Global South Partnership Cooperation to a more inclusive and sustainable governance” with the host prioritizing — Global South Cooperation and Partnership for Social, Economic and Environmental Development. Within the framework political focus is on six areas. These include (i) Global Health Cooperation; (ii) Trade, Investment and Finance; (iii) Climate Change; (iv) Artificial Intelligence Governance; (v) Multilateral Peace and Security Architecture; and (vi) Institutional Development.
To be held on July 6-7, the Summit will be held in an expanded format. In 2024, six countries — Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – were admitted to BRICS, an acronym formed with member-countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The presence of nine countries Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, as partners underscores the increasing heft of the grouping over the last two decades.
Geographical coverage of BRICS, is in of Africa, South America and Asia-Pacific comprising 36 percent of the Earth’s surface; holding 40 percent of the global economy in 2024 and 48.5 percent of the global population; holds 72 percent of the globes reserves of rare earth minerals and 43.6 percent of global oil production, 36 percent of world’s natural gas production and 78.2 percent of the global production of mineral oil,; BRICS countries represent 35 percent of the international trade with Brazil alone accounting for 24 percent.
In the absence of President Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be representing them respectively. With BRICS under the presidency, Brazil could showcase the flexibility and depth of the grouping beyond these two leaders. By his presence, PM Modi brings heft to BRICS and its Global South credentials.
One of the issues that comes up before the Summit is the talk around ‘De-Dollarization,” a charge U.S. President Donald Trump has cautioned against the BRICS working towards. Last week. At a pre-summit seminar in New Delhi in June organised by the Brazilian Embassy and Centre for Global India Insights in June, envoys from the BRICS countries suggested greater scope for expansion in the use of national currencies for intra-group trade and deeper cooperation on economic issues.
Making clear the direction in which the group is moving, India’s BRICS Sherpa and External Affairs Ministry Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi emphasized: “Today, for now, we are only looking at trade settlement in national currencies… harmonization of fiscal and monetary policy [for common currency] is very difficult to achieve.”
On Monday, at a media briefing in New Delhi, Ravi reiterated that countries in the Global South are also looking for alternatives and …” it’s not a de-dollarization issue. The countries are also doing trade settlements in national currency. This has been going on for quite some time, but what’s happening in the BRICS is precisely that. We are trying to bring in some understanding of how important it is to have alternative mechanisms in being able to do trading in the national currencies, and also to be able to do projects in the national currencies.”
As for the final declaration, he said, it will find convergence of the discussions held at the level of National Security Advisors, Business Council Meetings, Women’s Business Alliance and Civil-Council.
As India prepares for the presidency of BRICS 2026, the country could push for the group to take the initiative in digital finance and counter-terrorism Indications are that New Delhi would work for a stand on the issue. Recently, at the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum meeting on June 4-5, members from 10 countries, India, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia, adopted in the declaration in which it strongly condemned terrorist attack at Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Indications of the possible trajectory of the Summit came at the Parliamentary meeting, on issues like how BRICS should utilize Artificial Intelligence with transparency and accountability. Economic inclusion, cooperation and how BRICS nations can increase trade among themselves also came up for discussion. India stood in support of the rule of law, global cooperation, and the need for dialogue on the world stage.
There will be keen interest in how the Rio Summit would take a view on Iran, which became a full member of the grouping last year. Following the strain in relations with Israel, and heightened tensions in the Middle East would the leaders adopt a balanced and cautious stand amid indications that Brazil is for a “neutral yet inclusive formulation.” Russia and China would prefer to take a diplomatic stand shielding Iran against pressure from the West. South Africa and India could strive for a moderate approach to maintain both unity and credibility.
Besides holding bilateral meetings with leaders at the Summit, PM Modi will also visit Brasilia for an official meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Among issues of mutual interest include defence, rare earth minerals, counter-terror cooperation, south-south cooperation, trade and investments, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and critical minerals, defense and security, agriculture and livestock, healthcare and traditional medicine, tourism, space, science and technology, DPI, sports and people-to-people relations.
At the June 30 briefing, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, P Kumaran said Brazil seems to be interested in a secure battlefield communication system, offshore patrol vessels, Akash air defense system, coastal surveillance system and manufacturing defense industry joint ventures with India joint Research and Development and co-development of systems.
