At the 2025 BRICS summit, PM Modi held several prominent bilateral meetings on the sidelines with world leaders, including leaders from non-BRICS countries, which received much publicity in the news media, evidence of India’s intention to facilitate global diplomacy outside of the formal summit meetings.
Context
The BRICS summit of 2025 took place in Kazan, Russia. In addition to BRICS Member States (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the new members added after the 2024 expansion (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE), the summit agenda centered on multipolarity, reforming finance, and technology cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi’s interactions with leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and guest nation leaders including Argentina, Indonesia, and Nigeria were more than just typical diplomatic meetings: they were intentional and conscious initiatives to further India’s strategic position in the world. Furthermore, that these meetings occurred outside of a formal meeting probably suggests that India wants amplified international coalitions and influence beyond BRICS.
As per public messaging from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the bilateral meetings with Modi were focused on trade and energy-related developments, regional security issues, and the multipolar world order.
Many of the meetings also addressed discussions on developments in the Indian Ocean Region, counterterrorism collaboration, and topics around Global South cooperation in line with India’s continuous foreign policy agenda. Analysts from think tanks, including ORF (Observer Research Foundation) and Carnegie India, further emphasized the meetings as part of India’s “multiple alignment” strategy.
Modi’s side meetings have depicted salient questions: Why prioritize bilaterals at a multilateral summit? One possible answer is that level solutions aren’t always possible, even for a major BRICS nation, India. India would appear to understand that sometimes formal group structures have their limits. Bilateral discussions are more agile; India likely appreciated the ability to confidentially address sensitive matters like border security with China or oil trade with Iran.
Moreover, these engagements present India as a balancing power able to create relations with rival blocs, whether it be the West, Russia, or China. For example, Modi’s meeting with Putin occurred amid sanctions by the West against Russia, revealing India’s independent foreign policy. However, this comes with risks, including criticism from Western allies and concerns about India’s neighbors.
Implication
Reinforcing India as a Regional Player:
- These meetings allow India to portray itself as a central node in the emerging multipolar world. Modi engaged with leaders from West Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He reinforced India’s position with the Global South.
- Energy and trade benefits: Modi received bilateral talks with Iran and Saudi Arabia on oil imports and strategic infrastructure, eg, Chabahar Port. Both are important for India’s energy security and regional connectivity.
- Geopolitical Balancing: India is balancing its strategic relationship with the United States and the members of QUAD with dialogues with potential allies and partners, including Russia and Iran. In such a polarized and fragmented world, India may be able to remain resilient and pragmatic; however, keeping track of all the moving parts will make it complicated to manage its foreign policy.
- Bilateral Relations may be an acknowledgment of BRICS challenges. On the other hand, India’s focus on bilateral relations might also signal challenges inside BRICS. The member states of BRICS appear to remain divided on many important subjects including currency reform, political positioning, and expansion. Modi’s sideline diplomacy may be an acknowledgment that BRICS is not always an effective forum for consensus building.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s succession of high-profile sideline meetings at the 2025 BRICS Summit signals a change in India’s foreign policy that is characterized by assertiveness, flexibility, and diversification. These bilateral discussions offered India the opportunity to engage on important strategic and economic issues that were likely too complex for multilateral consensus.
Though this strategy expands India’s diplomatic power, it also requires careful management of regular relationships under conditions of rivalry among global great powers. In the future, India must continue to authenticate its bilateral aspirations with an awareness of its obligations to collaborative organizations like BRICS and ensure that this type of diplomacy yields positive and inclusive contributions.
Keep reading questiqa.in
