India, Sept. 12 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 18th BRICS Summit with a direct appeal to Western sceptics of the bloc, declaring that the grouping was not built to oppose any nation, while simultaneously pressing for sweeping changes to how global institutions, including the United Nations Security Council, are run.

BRICS Summit 2026 Live Latest News: What Prompted Modi's Remarks?

Speaking to assembled heads of state and government at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, PM Modi addressed a perception that has followed BRICS since its most recent expansion, that the bloc's growing coordination among non-Western economies amounts to a challenge to Washington and its allies.

Rejecting that framing directly, Modi told delegates, "We a...