PM Modi Skips BRICS Summit; Jaishankar, Xi Jinping & Putin Join Amid Trump’s Tariff War

PM Modi Skips BRICS Summit; Jaishankar, Xi Jinping & Putin Join Amid Trump’s Tariff War
At the 2025 BRICS Summit convened virtually by Brazil, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to skip the plenary session, sending External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to represent India instead. This decision comes at a critical time when U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified tariff measures against India, increasing duties up to 50% on certain imports as retaliation for India’s ongoing purchases of discounted Russian oil.
The summit saw key leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin participate, pushing for strengthened multilateral cooperation amid rising protectionism. Modi, however, met privately with both Xi and Putin on the sidelines, signaling continued efforts to resolve border disputes with China and bolster strategic partnerships with Russia.
India’s move to send a senior representative while maintaining high-level bilateral engagements reflects its nuanced strategy to balance ties between these global powers as it prepares to assume the BRICS presidency next year. The summit underlines escalating tensions in global trade policies and their impact on emerging economies like India.
The BRICS forum, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and newly joined Indonesia, represents a significant share of global GDP and population, making the dynamics of this summit particularly significant in the context of U.S.-China-Russia-India trade and geopolitical relations.

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