Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially declared the BRICS Summit 2026 open on Saturday, welcoming world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to India for the two-day meeting.

Speaking at the opening session, Modi said the Global South must be a rule-shaper rather than only a rule-taker, and that India is ready to take the lead, according to the source account of his remarks.

Modi said India's BRICS chairship had followed a "people-centric and humanity-first approach," with resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability identified as key priorities.

He noted that this year's summit marks a historic milestone as BRICS celebrates its 20th anniversary, describing the age of 20 in human life as the start of a new phase of maturity and responsibility, when responsibilities are added to dreams and capabilities are given new direction.

The summit is being held in India and brings together leaders of the grouping's member countries. The supplied source account does not give further details of the agenda, outcomes or other leaders' remarks.