India remains “engaged with the US,” external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, who will represent India at the upcoming Brics (Brazil, Russian, India, China, South Africa) virtual summit convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, told reporters on Saturday.
The Brics meeting, scheduled for Monday, will focus on trade disruptions triggered by Washington’s tariff policies.
“The Brazilian chair of Brics has called for a virtual meeting on September 8. From our side, it will be the external affairs minister who will be participating in (the meeting). This Brics Summit is at the leaders’ level,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.
Even as US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled down the heat between India and the US, Jaishankar affirmed the message of engagement with Washington
“PM Modi attaches enormous importance to our partnership with the US,” Jaishankar said. “Where President Trump is concerned, he [PM Modi] has always had a very good personal equation with President Trump.
“But the point is that we remain engaged with the US, and at this time, I can’t say more than that. But that’s really what I would say,” he added.
The statement comes against the backdrop of recent friction in India-US ties, with Washington raising concerns over New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil, market access restrictions for American goods, and engagement with China.
Brics divisions and Brazil’s push
Brazil, which currently chairs Brics, is pushing for a coordinated response to US tariffs.
Like India, Brazilian exports were recently hit with 50 per cent duties. President Lula is expected to raise the tariff issue at the virtual summit.
Lula had also spoken with Modi over phone on August 7, during which both leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral trade and energy cooperation.
The Brics bloc has undergone rapid expansion. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined in 2024, followed by Indonesia in 2025. Today, the grouping represents about 49.5 per cent of the global population, nearly 40 per cent of global GDP, and around 26 per cent of world trade.
But divisions have persisted.
At the formal summit in Rio last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were absent and the expanded membership raised questions about the bloc’s coherence.
Rather than directly confronting Washington, the summit declaration focused on themes like health, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
Trump has repeatedly warned Brics against “de-dollarisation” efforts, cautioning member states not to undermine the dollar’s role in global trade.
