President Putin Welcomes Global Leaders At BRICS Summit In Kazan.
This week, President Vladimir Putin will host over 20 heads of state in the city of Kazan for the BRICS summit, a significant gathering of emerging economies. Among the distinguished leaders invited are China’s President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Kremlin has described the event as one of the “largest-scale foreign policy events ever” to take place in Russia.
According to Chris Weafer, founding partner of consultancy firm Macro-Advisory, the summit serves as a message from Russia that attempts to isolate the country on the global stage have not succeeded. “It’s a big part of the messaging from the Kremlin that Russia is withstanding sanctions,” he said. “We know there are severe cracks beneath the surface. But at a geopolitical level, Russia has all these friends and they’re all going to be Russia’s partners.”
BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is often seen as a counterbalance to the Western-led world order. In recent years, the group has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Saudi Arabia also invited to join. Collectively, the BRICS nations account for 45% of the global population and their economies are worth over $28.5 trillion (£22 trillion), representing approximately 28% of the global economy.
The summit highlights Russia’s continued engagement with key global partners amidst ongoing sanctions and geopolitical challenges.
