USA
Source: www.reuters.com

• Summary
• Modi says India will support every peace effort to stop fighting
• Modi tells Putin war needs cessation of hostilities for humanity's sake
• TASS says Putin ​briefs Modi on progress of Russia's special military operation

MOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Indian Prime ‌Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the war in Ukraine needed to end for humanity's sake and that New Delhi would support every peace effort to stop the ​fighting.

Modi, who made his comments at the start of talks with Putin ​in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, called Putin "my friend" and hailed growing economic ⁠ties between the two countries which he said were guided by the need to ​put the interests of both nations above all else.

India, along with China, is one ​of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, which has helped Moscow replenish its budget since it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 and was hit with sweeping Western sanctions.

"As you ​are aware, India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue ​to do so in the future," Modi told Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation ‌Organization summit, ⁠according to a Kremlin transcript of their exchange.

"Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace. We need to move from endless war to an ​end to the war, ​to a cessation ⁠of hostilities. And we will need to move precisely in this direction," said Modi who has said before that he wants a ​peace settlement for Ukraine.

"Thank you very much, Prime Minister. We are ​moving forward ⁠along this path," Putin responded, according to state media.

The Kremlin - which has repeatedly said that Russia is only ready to end the war on its own terms, which Ukraine has ⁠dismissed ​as an unacceptable demand to capitulate - said after the ​talks that Putin had briefed Modi on how the special military operation, Russia's preferred description for its action ​in Ukraine, was progressing, the state TASS news agency reported.

India
Source: ddindia.co.in

The 18th Meeting of the Heads of Intellectual Property (IP) Offices of BRICS countries concluded its second day in New Delhi with member countries reaffirming their commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation in intellectual property and promoting innovation, creativity and sustainable economic development.

The three-day meeting from September 1 to 3, being hosted by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Around 35 delegates participated in the meeting through physical and virtual formats. Representatives from Russia, Iran and Ethiopia joined the deliberations online, while delegates from the other BRICS member offices attended in person.

The discussions were held in line with the theme of India’s BRICS Chairship – “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” – highlighting the role of intellectual property frameworks in strengthening technological resilience and supporting sustainable economic growth.
A key outcome of the meeting was the adoption of Updated Operational Guidelines for IP BRICS, aimed at promoting result-oriented cooperation, facilitating cross-border innovation and strengthening joint efforts in the development of global intellectual property standards.

The participating IP offices also highlighted the importance of protecting traditional knowledge and traditional systems of medicine as part of the shared cultural and intellectual heritage of BRICS countries.

The meeting took note of progress under a study on reinforced patent examination cooperation within BRICS, which seeks to streamline examination processes, reduce backlogs and facilitate greater exchange of patent search results among member offices.

Delegates also discussed the use of patent analytics and landscape studies to support technological development. Findings related to patent analytics and geographical indications (GIs) were noted as tools to improve efficiency and strengthen the protection and commercialisation of GI products across BRICS markets.

The meeting further concluded deliberations on several new initiatives aimed at deepening institutional cooperation. These include the BRICS Intellectual Property Awareness Series, IP BRICS FinTech Innovation Monitor, BRICS Industrial Property Commercialisation Forum and Best Practices Repository.

Other proposed initiatives cover intellectual property policies related to public health and development, research on design systems of BRICS countries, and a Manual of Patent Documentation and Information Resources of BRICS Countries.

The Heads of IP Offices stressed the importance of effective coordination mechanisms and periodic reviews to ensure timely implementation of joint projects and continuity of cooperation within the IP BRICS framework.

The participating delegates appreciated the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for organising the meeting.
The hosting of the annual IP BRICS meeting under India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship also reflects the country’s growing role in global intellectual property cooperation and its expanding IP ecosystem.

Russia
Source: en.kremlin.ru

Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev, Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev, and Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, friends,

I am very pleased to meet with you again. This time, our meeting takes place ahead of the SCO summit, an organisation committed to deepening contacts between the countries of the Global South and East, promoting socioeconomic and cultural development in the region, and fostering a just and multipolar world.

I would also like to note with satisfaction that Russian-Indian relations continue to develop as a specially privileged strategic partnership. This, esteemed Prime Minister, is due in no small measure to the attention you personally devote to strengthening our bilateral ties, as well as to our business relations and the warm and friendly personal relationship between us, which is something I greatly appreciate.

Your Foreign Minister, Mr Jaishankar, recently conveyed your message during a meeting in Moscow, and I fully endorse everything contained therein.

Next year, we will celebrate the 80^th anniversary of diplomatic relations and, of course, we are actively preparing for the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi in September.

Trade and economic cooperation is showing generally positive trends: last year saw a slight decline, but in the first six months of this year, bilateral trade has already grown by 2.6 percent.

A week ago, the Intergovernmental Commission met in Moscow and also delivered good results.
I would also like to say a few words about humanitarian cooperation. I want to highlight that India ranks among the leaders in the number of students enrolled in Russian universities: over the past ten years, this figure has grown sevenfold – a remarkable achievement – and now it stands at almost 40,000. Cultural festivals featuring Indian and Russian culture are held regularly, with the next one planned for 2027 in India.

Tourism between our countries is also on the rise, with growth in 2025 estimated at 16 percent. We coordinate our efforts closely within the UN, BRICS, the G20, and, of course, the SCO. Today we have an excellent opportunity to compare notes and chart the way forward for the further expansion of Russian-Indian relations.

Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi (retranslated): Your Excellency, my dear friend,

I am very pleased to meet with you again today. Your visit to India last year was highly successful and remains fresh in our memory. We spent many hours together during that visit. We also organised a business forum, which was attended by major Russian companies, and thanks to that forum, our business cooperation has gained new momentum.

I am very pleased that both our teams and both our countries are working diligently to implement the summit decisions. It is gratifying to note that our cooperation continues to reach new heights, serving the interests of both nations. In doing so, we have always prioritised our national interests, the interests of our countries and our citizens, and we will continue to be guided by this same principle in the future.

Your Excellency, we have regularly discussed the issue of Ukraine. During our last meeting, you shared detailed information with me and covered all aspects of the current situation. As you know, India supports all peace efforts in this area, and we will continue to do so. Every day that the war continues, humanity takes a step backwards; yet every step towards peace gives humanity real hope. We must move from endless war to the end of war, to the cessation of hostilities. And we must move in precisely this direction. This is crucial for all of humanity. We must resolve all problems through peaceful means; the entire world demands this. And this is India’s message, among others: India is the country of Gandhi, the country of Buddha – that is our message.

Today, Your Excellency, we will have the opportunity to discuss all of these issues. And a few days after this summit, India will host the BRICS summit. Naturally, all the citizens of our country are very much looking forward to your visit and the visit of your delegation. Your visit will strengthen our bilateral relations and further deepen dialogue and interaction within BRICS.

Thank you very much.
<…>

China
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn

BISHKEK -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that, under his and Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategic guidance and through the joint efforts of both sides, the foundation of China-Russia relations will become ever stronger, their progress ever steadier, and their future ever brighter.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2026 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Xi said that during the successful state visit of Putin to China in May, he and Putin made arrangements to steer bilateral relations toward higher-quality and higher-level development from a strategic and long-term perspective, and reached consensus on deepening cooperation between China and Russia across various sectors under the new circumstances.

The competent authorities of the two countries are actively implementing the consensus, with substantial results already made, Xi said, adding that exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have maintained a strong momentum.

Xi noted that the international landscape is witnessing a notable increase in uncertain and unpredictable factors, against the backdrop of accelerating profound changes unseen in a century. But the pursuit of people across the world of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes remains unchanged, he added.

The SCO shoulders the important responsibility for safeguarding regional stability and promoting regional development, he said.

China, he said, stands ready to work with Russia and other parties to jointly chart the course for the development of the SCO, help ensure its steady and sustained progress, and strengthen the driving force for reform of global governance and the advancement of an equal and orderly multipolar world.

Amid a turbulent and complex international landscape, Russia and China have continuously deepened their comprehensive strategic coordination, upholding equality, mutual trust, and mutual support, while cooperation and development across various fields have advanced rapidly, and Russia-China relations have become a model for relations between countries, Putin said.

Russia is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, industry, transportation, and science and technology, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and promote bilateral relations to achieve new results, he said.

Through the joint efforts of all parties, the SCO has evolved into a dynamic and efficient regional cooperation platform with significant international influence, said Putin, noting that Russia and China should continuously strengthen their solidarity and cooperation within the organization and play a guiding role.

Russia is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the BRICS mechanism and the G20, support China in hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, and jointly uphold world peace, stability and prosperity, he said.

The two heads of state also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Russia
Source: eng.globalaffairs.ru

The 20th century was centered on the geopolitics of scarcity, with nations vying for control of limited resources concentrated in narrow geographic areas, such as oil fields, natural gas reserves, and strategic minerals. This competition forged alliances, fueled wars, and defined the hierarchy of global power.

The 21st century may be built on a different logic: power may increasingly derive not from controlling scarcity, but from regulating abundance. Agricultural biomass exemplifies this shift. Every year, the world produces billions of tons of agricultural waste: rice and wheat straw, corn stalks, and sugarcane residue—that are burned, discarded, or left to decompose. This waste constitutes one of the most abundant renewable resources on the planet, yet it remains largely invisible to markets, policymakers, and strategists. This invisibility is not accidental: it is a product of an international economic system built on rewarding concentration and scarcity rather than distribution and renewal.

Agricultural biomass should be understood as a form of strategic capital—a renewable asset capable of generating economic returns, technological leadership, institutional resilience, and geopolitical independence simultaneously.

Instead of treating agricultural biomass merely as an energy source or environmental asset, we can frame how renewable biological resources can be generated and transformed into sustainable geopolitical capabilities through coordinated industrial organization. By embracing this transformation, BRICS countries can reshape the political economy of energy and food, and regain strategic power.

From Scarcity to Abundance: The Geopolitics of Biomass

Since the mid-20th century, the global economy has been organized around the principle of scarcity-driven value. Resources that are finite, geographically concentrated, and difficult to extract—oil, natural gas, and critical minerals—command high prices precisely because their supply can be controlled. This control generates rents that fund states, corporations, and strategic influence.

The post-Cold War international energy system evolved around institutions and financial mechanisms that provided considerable influence to countries controlling capital, technology, maritime routes, and reserve currencies. This architecture has created dependencies that are increasingly being leveraged for strategic advantage. From the perspective of many BRICS policymakers, recent measures—such as the proposed 100% tariffs on Russian energy buyers, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. controlling the Venezuelan oil supplies—are interpreted as part of a broader pattern of strategic competition over energy markets. This system, however, is beginning to fray. As carbon pricing mechanisms expand, as the costs of pollution become harder to ignore, and as the strategic vulnerabilities of fossil fuel dependence grow more apparent, the economic calculus is shifting.

Therefore, the agricultural biomass is becoming visible not because its physical properties have changed, but because the institutional frameworks for valuing it are finally emerging. As Chatham House report notes, transitions towards bio-based economies “bring a new set of geopolitical dynamics and could give rise to new dominant players with natural resource endowments, R&D and innovation investments, and processing capacities.”

The Biomass as a Strategic Asset

Agricultural biomass exhibits characteristics that are the opposite of fossil fuels. It is abundant rather than scarce, distributed rather than concentrated, renewable rather than finite, and locally manageable rather than dependent on complex extraction infrastructure.

India alone produces over 500 million tons of agricultural residues annually, of which nearly 92 million tons of rice stubble are burned each year. The economic cost of this practice is estimated at $339.4 billion annually, equivalent to 9.5% of India’s GDP, while the human toll reaches 1.72 million premature deaths annually from fine particulate pollution. China generates even larger volumes—over 600 million tons of crop residues annually. Brazil, Russia, and South Africa collectively add hundreds of millions more.

These residues have the potential to meet up to 25% of global liquid fuel demand, while simultaneously reducing dependence on imported chemical fertilizers, which cost India alone over $14.5 billion annually. Converting agricultural residues into biofuels and biochemicals could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60–80% compared to fossil fuels, while improving soil health through biochar and compost application.

Shared BRICS Resource

While India exemplifies both the crisis and opportunity in agricultural biomass, it is by no means the only BRICS nation rich in this resource. Russia has extensive wheat and barley straw, Brazil boasts abundant sugarcane bagasse and soybean residues, China produces enormous volumes of corn and rice straw, and South Africa has significant maize and sugarcane residues. The critical issue is not which country dominates the feedstock supply, but whether BRICS nations can forge a collective framework to transform this dispersed resource into a shared strategic asset. Joint research centers, harmonized quality standards, and coordinated investment strategies could unlock far greater value than any single country could achieve on its own.

Traditionally viewed as a renewable energy source or a component of the circular economy, agricultural biomass should also be recognized as strategic capital—an asset that delivers sustained economic, technological, institutional, and geopolitical benefits through effective management and innovation.

Its value hinges on the technologies employed to transform and govern it, positioning biomass as a vital multidimensional asset for economic growth, technological leadership, institutional resilience, and strategic independence, ultimately contributing to both economic stability and international geopolitical stability.

Why Russia Matters: A Strategic Opportunity

Russia occupies a distinctive position in the emerging bioeconomy. As the world’s largest exporter of wheat and a major producer of barley, corn, and other grains, Russia generates substantial agricultural residues—estimated at 100–150 million tons annually. These residues represent not merely a disposal challenge but a strategic opportunity to diversify Russia’s economic base beyond hydrocarbon exports.

Moreover, Russia has developed significant expertise in biocatalytic and enzymatic conversion technologies through decades of investment in biotechnology and industrial chemistry. This scientific infrastructure provides a foundation for Russia to emerge as a technology exporter in the bioeconomy, rather than merely a feedstock supplier.

Geopolitically, Russia’s potential role in the bioeconomy aligns with its broader strategic objectives: reducing dependence on Western technology and financial systems, diversifying export markets towards Asia and the Global South, and building institutional frameworks within BRICS that are independent of Western-dominated structures. The bioeconomy offers Russia a pathway to maintain its status as a major power while transitioning from fossil fuel dependence to a more diversified and resilient economic base.

The Architecture of Implementation

The transition from agricultural residues to strategic capital requires an institutional architecture capable of coordinating investment, standardizing quality, facilitating trade, and sharing knowledge. Several building blocks already exist.

First, a BRICS Bioeconomy Platform. In February 2026, President Vladimir Putin proposed launching joint bioeconomy projects with BRICS partners, describing the sector as key “from the point of view of the quality of global growth.”

Second, dedicated financing through the New Development Bank (NDB). The NDB has committed to directing 40% of all its financing to climate and energy transition projects in 2026, with approved renewable energy projects totaling $300 million for Brazil, $250 million for India, $180 million for South Africa, and $81 million for China.

Third, BRICS Biorefinery Corridors. The existing BRICS STI Framework Program supports collaborative research on biomass conversion, which could be scaled into a network of biorefinery corridors linking feedstock-rich regions with industrial processing hubs.

Fourth, harmonized standards. In July 2026, India signed a first standards cooperation pact with BRICS partners, pointing towards a common regulatory framework for biofuels and biofertilizers.

Fifth, a common BRICS market for biofertilizers. The 2025 “Indore Declaration” by BRICS
Agriculture Ministers committed member states to strengthening food security through greater cooperation.

Finally, carbon market integration. BRICS countries could collectively negotiate access to international carbon markets.

These six institutional pillars, built on existing platforms, extend them into a coherent bioeconomy architecture. What is needed is not invention, but coordination.

Limitations of the Biomass Model

Any balanced perspective must acknowledge three key limitations. First, collecting agricultural residues is often economically unfeasible due to logistical challenges, particularly in areas with weak infrastructure, where the cost sometimes exceeds the value of the raw materials. Second, a portion of the residues must remain in the fields to maintain soil health, depending on local conditions. Third, biomass has a significantly lower energy density than fossil fuels—about one-third that of crude oil—which presents challenges in storage and transportation. However, technological advancements are gradually addressing these issues. These limitations underscore the need for innovation, regional collaboration, and the development of biorefining facilities. While biomass cannot completely replace oil, it has the potential to play a significant strategic role in future energy and agricultural systems.

The New Geopolitics of Strategic Abundance

Throughout modern history, strategic power has largely been associated with the possession of finite resources. Yet the defining strategic resource of the 21st century may prove fundamentally different. It will not be exhausted by extraction, but renewed with every harvest. The transition from fossil dependence to biological abundance represents not merely an energy transition, but a transformation in the political economy of power itself.

The 20th century taught states how to compete over finite resources. The 21st century may reward those capable of organizing renewable abundance. Oil shaped the geopolitics of the past, biomass may shape the geoeconomics of the future. The strategic question for BRICS is therefore no longer whether agricultural waste has value, but whether it is prepared to recognize that value before others do.

For BRICS countries, which collectively represent nearly half of humanity, this transition offers an opportunity to break the cycle of dependency and to build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable economic order. The resource is abundant. The technology is available. What remains is the political will to act—not as a gesture of defiance, but as a demonstration of strategic foresight.

If the 20th century rewarded those who controlled oil wells, the 21st century may reward those who mastered biological production systems. In that world, the decisive geopolitical advantage will belong less to countries endowed with scarce resources than to those capable of transforming renewable abundance into strategic power. The decisive question for the emerging international order is therefore not whether renewable abundance exists, but which states will acquire the institutional capacity to transform it into strategic capital.

Russia
Source: eng.globalaffairs.ru

The 18th BRICS Summit, to be held on 12–13 September 2026 under India’s chairmanship at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, is set to be a major diplomatic spectacle. The elaborate protocol, heightened security and delegations from across the Global South are to symbolize the expanded BRICS’s growing political and economic weight. One major question on the agenda is who will write the rules of the emerging digital economy.

Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in its current generative form, is already reshaping trade, production, finance, and the exercise of state power. The World Trade Organization’s 2025 World Trade Report estimates that AI could increase global trade by 34–37% and global GDP by 12–13% by 2040. AI-related goods, including semiconductors and computing equipment, are already becoming major drivers of global trade, with AI-enabling goods hitting $2.3 trillion in 2023. Over 98% of global subsidies for AI-related products currently come from high- and upper-middle-income countries, risking a deeper concentration of AI capabilities.

This transformation is distributed extremely unevenly across countries. According to Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index Report, U.S. private AI investment reached $285.9 billion in 2025, compared to $12.4 billion in China. In 2025 the U.S. also had 5,427 data centers—ten times more than any other country. Nvidia alone accounted for more than 60% percent of reported global AI computing capacity. Yet, challengers are catching up with alternative efficiencies: China now leads with 69.7% of global AI patent filings, and the performance gap between U.S. and Chinese top AI models has collapsed to just 2.7%.

These figures point to a new geopolitical reality. Countries that control advanced chips, computing capacity, cloud infrastructure, foundation models, and data and technical standards will have greater influence over the next phase of globalization.

The rules will determine how data crosses borders. They will also determine how AI-generated content is identified, how copyrighted material can be used for training, and who bears responsibility for algorithmic harm.

The Global South, therefore, faces a strategic choice. It can adapt to the rules largely developed elsewhere, or it can become a rule-maker.

BRICS+ should choose the latter.

From Digital Sovereignty to Collective Rule-Making

BRICS+ has already recognized the stakes. The 2025 BRICS Leaders’ Statement on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence called for inclusive and development-oriented AI governance, greater participation by developing countries, and respect for national sovereignty. It also addressed data security, intellectual property, AI safety, and AI-enabled cybercrime.

The challenge is now implementation.

BRICS members already possess substantial regulatory experience. China has established rules for generative AI services and introduced mandatory identification requirements for AI-generated and synthetic content. Russia’s National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence to 2030, originally approved in 2019 and updated by Presidential Decree #124 in February 2024, treats AI as a strategic area of national technological and economic development. The revised strategy emphasizes domestic AI capabilities, computing infrastructure, trusted AI, regulation, and international cooperation, including greater coordination with partner states on AI development and governance.

India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the 2025 DPDP Rules provide a framework for personal-data governance. India’s AI Governance Guidelines, released in February 2026, offer “a coherent and balanced AI governance framework that favor innovation while safeguarding trust, equity, and accountability.” Brazil has advanced AI regulation through PL 2338/2023, approved by the Senate in December 2024 and currently under consideration in the Chamber of Deputies. Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has proposed amendments to strengthen regulatory coordination and information-sharing, including cooperation on high-risk AI systems. South Africa’s 2024 National AI Policy Framework provides a foundation for AI policy that covers infrastructure, skills, research, innovation, responsible AI, and regulation. Its draft National AI Policy was withdrawn in April 2026 for revision, leaving the 2024 Framework as the country’s principal AI policy foundation.

These approaches, still evolving, are not yet aligned with one another. They must not be identical, but BRICS+ should work towards ensuring their interoperability. Common principles and technical standards could make different national systems compatible, without requiring that countries surrender their regulatory sovereignty.

The emerging international rulebook

The wider international framework is moving quickly.

The UN Global Digital Compact calls for international cooperation on AI, capacity-building in developing countries, and interoperable approaches to data and AI governance. The UN General Assembly has also established an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

The WTO framework is equally important. The General Agreement on Trade in Services, the TRIPS Agreement and WTO work on electronic commerce already intersect with digital services, intellectual property, and cross-border data.

The lapse of the WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions on 30 March 2026 provides a warning. The WTO members failed to reach consensus on extending the moratorium at MC14, thereby making digital trade rules part of the wider contest over economic sovereignty.
BRICS+ cannot afford fragmented positions on these issues. Individual developing economies will have less negotiating power if they approach them separately.

What BRICS+ Should Do

The New Delhi Summit should advance a practical BRICS+ Digital and AI Governance Framework with an emphasis on four priorities:

1. Data governance. BRICS+ should develop common principles for cross-border data transfers, privacy, cybersecurity, and trusted data-sharing. The objective should be neither unrestricted data flows nor absolute localization. Interoperable safeguards would preserve national regulatory choices while reducing unnecessary barriers to trade and research.
2. AI-generated content. China’s experience with mandatory labelling offers a practical starting point. BRICS+ could develop compatible standards for identifying synthetic text, images, audio, and video. Such standards would matter for elections, journalism, financial markets, diplomacy, and law enforcement.
3. Common position on intellectual property. AI developers are training models on enormous volumes of copyrighted material. BRICS+ should coordinate its approach to training data, licensing, transparency, and compensation. The aim should be to protect creators, without making AI development inaccessible to developing economies.
4. Cybersecurity and AI safetyaddressed together. Common minimum requirements for high-impact AI systems, incident reporting and model security would make national frameworks more compatible.

BRICS+ should also coordinate its positions in the ITU, ISO, IEC, UNESCO, and other standards bodies. Technical standards often become de facto global rules because companies adapt their products to major markets’ requirements.

The larger geopolitical question
The post-1991 international order has created an unusually concentrated distribution of economic, financial, and technological power. AI is now adding yet another layer to this structure.

For the Global South, the danger is not only in technological, but also in regulatory dependence. A country that imports AI systems, computing infrastructure and digital services may also end up adopting rules developed elsewhere. Its ability to shape how AI affects trade, employment, public services and national security would then remain limited.

BRICS+ has many of the assets required to avoid such outcome. Its members possess large markets, energy resources, scientific expertise, manufacturing capacity, digital infrastructure, and financial resources. Their combined weight gives them greater negotiating capacity than most developing countries can exercise individually.

The missing ingredient is coordination.

India’s 2026 BRICS chairmanship has already placed digital cooperation on the agenda. The BRICS ICT Working Group met in Pune in August to discuss AI, cybersecurity, future networks, digital public infrastructure, and digital ecosystem integration.

The New Delhi Summit should take the next step. BRICS+ should establish a coordinated position on AI and digital governance and carry it into negotiations at the UN, WTO, ITU, UNESCO, and international standards bodies.

The objective should not be a separate BRICS+ digital order. It should be a stronger Global South role in determining the global one.

***
The AI age is arriving while the international system is becoming more contested and multipolar. Economic power is dispersing, but technological power remains highly concentrated.
Multipolarity without technological and regulatory agency would therefore remain incomplete.
The spectacular event at Bharat Mandapam will last two days. The rules being written around AI will last much longer. BRICS+ should use the 18th BRICS Summit to make one proposition unmistakable: the Global South will enter the emerging digital order as a rule-maker, not a rule-taker.

India
Source: www.ibef.org

India and Brazil have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral trade and economic cooperation, with both countries targeting Rs. 2.65 lakh crore (US$ 30 billion) in bilateral trade by 2030. The commitment was made during the eighth India-Brazil Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM) meeting in Brasília, co-chaired by Commerce Secretary Mr. Rajesh Agrawal and Brazil’s Secretary of Foreign Trade Ms. Tatiana Lacerda Prazeres. Bilateral trade reached Rs. 1.33 lakh crore (US$ 15.07 billion) in FY26, with discussions focused on expanding and diversifying trade across pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering goods and machinery. India and Brazil also reviewed progress on the India-MERCOSUR (Mercado Común del Sur/Southern Common Market) Terms of Reference and committed to their early finalisation. Trade between India and the MERCOSUR bloc reached Rs. 1.84 lakh crore (US$ 20.84 billion) in 2025. Both sides recognised the scope to expand and modernise the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement and strengthen market access for businesses.

The two countries also advanced cooperation in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, trade facilitation, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurship. India highlighted the need for predictable regulatory pathways and greater market access for Indian pharmaceutical products in Brazil, with the CDSCO-ANVISA memorandum of understanding signed in February 2026 providing an institutional framework for healthcare and pharmaceutical cooperation. Discussions on agriculture covered phytosanitary requests and reciprocal market access, while progress was noted on mutual recognition of Electronic Certificates of Origin. India and Brazil also reaffirmed coordination through BRICS, the G20 and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including cooperation on the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 and the Global Value Chains (GVC) Action Plan 2026-2030. An India-Brazil High Level Business Reception in Brasília brought together industry representatives, with an Indian delegation of more than 25 companies exploring opportunities across critical minerals, renewable energy, agri-business, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, digital services, logistics and advanced manufacturing. The establishment of an ApexBrasil office in New Delhi is expected to further strengthen business-to-business linkages and facilitate Brazilian investment in India.

USA
Source: www.reuters.com

MOSCOW, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Russia and India, the second-largest importer of Russian oil, have built a functioning payments infrastructure using roubles ​and rupees, which now account for 96% of ‌bilateral trade, a senior Russian banker said on Wednesday.

Russia's trade with India reached a record $70 billion in 2024, tripling since the start of ​the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, as India ​stepped up imports of Russian oil discounted due to ⁠Western sanctions. Bilateral trade fell in 2025 when those ​sanctions were tightened but rebounded in the first half of ​2026.

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"There are no problems with settlements between Russia and India. I am ready to say that this is one of the most reliable ​and best-established mechanisms for Russia's payments with other countries," said ​Ivan Nosov, head of Sberbank in India.

Russian businesses had previously complained about ‌an "overhang" ⁠of rupees, an only partially convertible currency, in bilateral transactions, as well as trade imbalances, with Indian exports to Russia lagging behind surging imports of Russian oil.

According to official ​data, 22 Russian ​banks, including ⁠Sberbank, Russia's largest lender, which was tasked with developing the payments infrastructure, and 17 Indian ​banks are currently servicing bilateral trade.

Nosov said that ​90% ⁠of all transactions between Russia and India are processed within 10 minutes, while more than 50% are processed in less than ⁠one ​minute.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed growing ​economic ties with Russia when he met President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

China
Source: