China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and other global leaders have arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies that the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rallying point for defying what some see as the Western liberal order.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the three-day meeting that got under way on Tuesday also offers a powerful way to demonstrate the failure of United States-led efforts to isolate Russia on the international stage over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov touted the summit as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia with 36 countries attending and more than 20 of them represented by heads of state.
BRICS – which initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and later South Africa – has expanded rapidly to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few other countries have expressed interest in joining.
Observers see the BRICS summit as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to showcase support for it on the international stage amid spiralling tensions with the West and to help expand economic and financial ties.
Proposed projects include the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to avoid Western sanctions and trade with its partners.
Putin is set to hold about 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including Tuesday’s encounters with Chinese President Xi, Indian Prime Minister Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Putin meets fellow BRICS leaders
Xi told Putin there was a “profound friendship” between their two countries.
“The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and the international situation is chaotic and intertwined,” Xi said.
China and Russia “have continuously deepened and expanded comprehensive strategic coordination and practical cooperation”, he added.
Ties have “injected strong impetus into the development, revitalisation and modernisation of the two countries”, the Chinese leader said.
They have “made important contributions to upholding international equity and justice”, he added.
Xi and Putin announced a “no-limits” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. They had met at least two other times this year, in Beijing in May and at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan in July.
Russia’s cooperation with India has also flourished as New Delhi considers Moscow a time-tested partner since the Cold War era despite Russia’s close ties with Indian rival China.
Western allies want India to be more active in persuading Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, but Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasising a peaceful settlement.
Modi, who last visited Russia in July, said this visit reflects the close friendship between the countries. Speaking at the start of his meeting with Putin, he also reaffirmed New Delhi’s push for peace in Ukraine.
Putin hailed what he described as a “privileged strategic partnership” between Russia and India.
Ramaphosa, who has also urged an end to the conflict, praised Moscow as a “valued ally” and friend in his meeting with Putin.
“We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning: from the days of our struggle against apartheid, right through to now,” Ramaphosa said.
On Thursday, Putin is also set to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will be making his first visit to Russia in more than two years. Guterres has repeatedly criticised Russia’s actions in Ukraine.