India Invites Russia to 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi

India, holding the 2026 BRICS chairmanship, formally sent Russia an invitation to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, scheduled for September 12-13. A Russian government source confirmed to TASS that the invitation had been dispatched; the Kremlin has said Putin plans to attend alongside fellow BRICS leaders including Xi Jinping, as the bloc's 11 members focus on local-currency payment infrastructure amid Western sanctions pressure.