BRICS Summit Closes: Declaration Hardens Language on Gaza, Sidesteps Naming Ukraine

As the two-day 18th BRICS Summit concluded, analysts highlighted the New Delhi Declaration's sharper language on Gaza — 'firm opposition' to forced Palestinian displacement, a call for a ceasefire, full UN membership for Palestine and a two-state solution on 1967 borders, plus a reference to South Africa's ICJ case against Israel — while on the Iran-Israel war it called only for 'maximum restraint' without condemning US-Israeli strikes or Iran's targeting of Gulf states, a compromise reflecting the split between Iran and UAE delegations. On Russia's war, the statement avoided naming Ukraine and instead issued generic calls for resolving disputes through 'dialogue, consultation and diplomacy,' while criticizing 'unlawful' unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council — language that benefits Russia without endorsing its war aims.