India's BRICS win could shape trade options amid US tariffs, says analyst

• BRICS push for greater intra-bloc trade offers economies an alternative amid US tariffs, says Kugelman
• New Delhi Declaration flags concern over tariffs distorting global trade, violating WTO rules
• India brokered consensus between Iran and UAE on West Asia conflict during summit talks
• Analyst: Trump administration unlikely to react strongly as US not directly named

INDIA's hosting of the 18th BRICS Summit was a success, a US-based analyst has said, pointing to practical outcomes that could matter for countries navigating tariffs and trade pressure from the West.

Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, said the substantive joint declaration issued on the first day showed New Delhi's ability to build consensus among countries with divergent views — and translate that consensus into concrete trade commitments.

"I think we could assess India's hosting role as a success. The fact that there was a joint declaration that was quite substantive and was issued on the first day highlights how New Delhi was able to work with a group with disparate views and reach a consensus," Kugelman told PTI Videos on Sunday.

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The annual summit of BRICS, a grouping of 11 major emerging economies representing around 49.5 per cent of the world's population and 40 per cent of global GDP, was held under India's chairmanship from September 12 to 13 in New Delhi. BRICS countries unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026 on Saturday, attended by global leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For businesses and economies watching trade tensions, the declaration's most practical element may be its push for greater trade among BRICS countries. Kugelman said this demonstrated the grouping's ability to deliver substantive measures for economies "concerned and indeed threatened by tariffs and sanctions coming from the Trump administration that were indirectly flagged in the declaration."

He said BRICS is positioning itself as a working alternative to Western-led economic and financial institutions. "What BRICS is really about is that it is meant to position itself as an alternative to Western-led economic and financial institutions in a world order that many countries, particularly in the Global South, are increasingly uncomfortable with," he said.

The declaration also expressed serious concern over the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, saying such actions distort global trade and violate World Trade Organisation rules. It further addressed terrorism, conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of disputes, with India leading efforts to bridge differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict during negotiations.

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"What's fortunate for BRICS is that it operates based on consensus, not unanimity. There needs to be a critical mass of those agreeing with what to do, and that's clearly what India was able to get to," Kugelman said.

On how this affects US relations, Kugelman said BRICS was often misunderstood in America. "One view is that it's irrelevant, it's a talk shop. And the other is that it's bent on taking on the West. Both of those are wrong," he said.

He added that a strong reaction from the Trump administration was unlikely for now, since the US was not named directly in the declaration. "Though it (the US) certainly is alluded to indirectly... what Washington thinks depends on what BRICS actually does," Kugelman said.

(With inputs from PTI)