Russia hosts BRICS summit with world leaders in attendance

kazan - Russia is hosting a BRICS summit with several prominent world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance.

The Kremlin views the presence of world leaders at the BRICS summit as a diplomatic triumph, showcasing that the country is not isolated following the conflict in Ukraine.

BRICS, initially formed as an economic cooperation platform by Brazil, Russia, India, and China to counter Western dominance, has evolved over the years. South Africa joined later, and this year saw the addition of Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members. Saudi Arabia has been officially invited to join.

In recent times, BRICS has taken on a more geopolitically significant role, akin to the Western counterpart G7, from which Russia was expelled in 2014.

Turkey applied for membership last month, leading Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participate in the summit in Kazan, located approximately 700 kilometers east of Moscow. Turkey's government has expressed interest in closer ties with BRICS, given the lack of prospects for EU membership.

The summit in Kazan will also see the attendance of Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had to cancel last minute due to a fall that resulted in injury.