The 18th BRICS summit, held on September 12–13, 2026 in New Delhi, produced a landmark document enshrining the need to protect civilian nuclear installations under all circumstances, including armed conflict. The New Delhi Declaration states that deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities operating under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards constitute a violation of international law.
The declaration’s language is unambiguous: “Nuclear safeguards, security and safety must always be respected, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment.” The text names no country directly, yet the reference to the Middle Eastern context is clear. Leaders expressed concern over “growing risks of nuclear danger and conflict,” calling for renewed diplomatic efforts to contain the situation. Reaching a shared text was no easy feat: among the participants were Iran and the United Arab Emirates, two countries at open odds over the war in the Middle East. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the declaration in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
On the energy front, the declaration devotes considerable attention to supply security. Leaders recognize stable energy markets as a foundation for economic and social development, and call for the maintenance of diversified supply chains. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, was explicitly referenced during the BRICS Business Forum proceedings as a global leader in peaceful nuclear energy. Russia’s standing in the sector remains one of the key pillars of energy cooperation within the bloc, which today includes fast-growing economies with ambitious plans to expand their installed nuclear capacity.
The document’s geopolitical significance must also be read in light of the bilateral talks held on the sidelines of the summit. India and the UAE discussed cooperation in strategic sectors including defense, space, and nuclear energy. India, for its part, strengthened ties with Kazakhstan — its primary uranium supplier — with a long-term view to securing the raw materials needed for its expanding nuclear fleet. The question of plant safety is thus deeply intertwined with that of fuel supply chain continuity.
The fact that such a diverse bloc managed to agree on a text that explicitly defends civilian nuclear plants from military aggression is a concrete signal. The principle that nuclear safety admits no exceptions, even in wartime, was already enshrined in international law — but its reaffirmation by countries that together represent more than half the world’s population carries political weight that is hard to dismiss. Whether the declaration will translate into tangible follow-up will depend on individual states’ ability to convert words into real diplomatic pressure. For now, the signal has gone out from New Delhi.
