KAZAN, Russia (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian President Narendra Modi and other world leaders arrived Tuesday in the Russian city of Kazan for meetings BRICS summit It is a developing economy that the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rallying point to challenge Western influence in global affairs.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the three-day meeting also offers a powerful way to demonstrate the failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
Kremlin Foreign Affairs Advisor Yuri Ushakov described the event as “the largest foreign policy event ever held by Russia,” with 36 countries in attendance, more than 20 of which represented by heads of state.
The alliance that initially included BrazilRussia, India, China, and South Africa rapidly expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. turkeyAzerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members A few others They expressed interest in joining.
Observers believe that the BRICS summit is part of the Kremlin’s efforts to show support from the Global South amid rising tensions with the West while expanding economic and financial ties.
Proposed projects include creating a new payment system that would provide an alternative to the global banking messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to evade Western sanctions and trade with partners.
Putin, who will hold about 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, met with Xi, Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday before the summit opened.
Xi and Putin announced the “borderless” partnership weeks before Russia invades Ukraine in 2022. They have already met twice this year, in Beijing in May, and at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan in July.
In welcoming Xi, Putin described relations between Moscow and Beijing as “one of the main stabilizing factors on the global stage.” He pledged to “expand coordination in all multilateral forums for global stability and a just world order.”
“Amid tectonic shifts that we have not seen for centuries, the international situation is witnessing serious changes and turmoil,” Xi said, praising the “unprecedented character” of Russian-Chinese relations.
Russia’s cooperation with India It also flourished. New Delhi considers Moscow a time-tested partner since the Cold War, despite Russia’s close relations with China, India’s main competitor.
Western allies want India to be more active in persuading Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, but Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement.
Modi, who last visited Russia in July, said: “We fully support achieving peace and stability as soon as possible.”
Putin praised what he described as the “distinctive strategic partnership” between Russia and India.
During his meeting with Ramaphosa, the Russian President stressed their common quest for a “just and multipolar world order” and specifically mentioned efforts by BRICS members to create a “new independent payment system.”
On Thursday, Putin is also scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will make his first visit to Russia in more than two years. Guterres has repeatedly criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
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