India to Champion Global South’s Interests During BRICS Presidency in 2026: Indian Envoy to Russia

Moscow: India will prioritize the concerns of the Global South when it assumes the chairmanship of BRICS in 2026, Ambassador of India to Russia Vinay Kumar said in an interview with TASS.

“India, as the BRICS chair in 2026, will leverage the forum as a platform to reform global financial institutions, boost trade and investment, and advocate for the interests of the Global South,” Kumar stated.

The envoy echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of redefining BRICS, explaining that the grouping would stand for “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability.” He added, “Just as we prioritized the Global South during our G20 presidency, we will continue this approach under our BRICS leadership, taking the forum forward in the spirit of people-centricity and humanity first.”

Highlighting India’s agenda, Kumar said the focus would include global challenges such as healthcare, technological advancement, and climate change.

On bilateral cooperation, the ambassador revealed that India and Russia are working on simplifying payment mechanisms for travelers. “The Indo-Russian working group on Banking and Finance, comprising representatives from both nations’ ministries and central banks, is actively discussing technical aspects of messaging systems and payment mechanisms to make financial transactions easier for all categories of travelers,” he said.

Kumar noted that Russian tourists in India can already benefit from services provided by Russian banks VTB and Sberbank, which operate branches in the country to facilitate smoother transactions for students and travelers.

The developments come after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on August 21 to review bilateral ties and prepare for the upcoming annual summit later this year. Jaishankar highlighted the significance of the meeting, stating, “Our leaders have always given us guidance to take forward our special strategic partnership.”