The BRICS declaration on Saturday expressed alarm at the increase in global military spending. While the US has a $1 trillion defence budget, the highest in the world, BRICS partners Russia, China and India are ironically among the top-five global spenders.The ‘New Delhi Declaration’, a joint outcome document of the BRICS leader’s summit in New Delhi, said: “We express alarm at the current trend that has seen a critical increase in global military spending.” This, it said, was a detriment of the provision of adequate financing to developing countries for development.The declaration also expressed “concern” about the growing risks of nuclear danger and conflict. “We reiterate the need for disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation to achieve global stability and international peace and security,” the declaration said.Concerns by BRICS stem from the rise in world military expenditure that stood at almost $3 trillion. International think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its annual report titled ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2025’ in March said, “Military spending rose by 2.9 per cent in real terms to reach $2,887 billion in 2025, which was the 11th consecutive year of growth.”Global spending has gone up by 41 per cent over the past decade, the SIPRI said, adding, “The world’s military burden—the share of global gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to military expenditure—went up to 2.5 per cent in 2025.”The global average military expenditure as a share of government expenditure was 6.9 per cent in 2025, and the world spending per person on military stood at $352.The SIPRI report said the US was the biggest spender in 2025, with a spend of $952 billion. China and Russia were the second and third largest spenders on defence, with spending of $336 billion and $190 billion, respectively. India was at the fifth spot with a spend of $92 billion.The other issue is that US national defence spending for fiscal 2026 is pegged at $1 trillion, and President Donald Trump is aiming for a $1.5 trillion budget for 2027.Meanwhile, the BRICS ‘New Delhi Declaration’ reaffirmed support for assurances against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.Notably, the BRICS declaration “expresses serious concern” over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA. This was clearly aimed at the US. Iran — during the ongoing conflict in West Asia — has accused the US of having bombed a civilian nuclear facility which was under IAEA safeguards.