China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narfinishra Modi and other global guideers have reachd in the Russian city of Kazan for a summit of the BRICS bloc of enhugeing economies that the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rpartnering point for defying what some see as the Westrict liberal order.
For Russian Pdwellnt Vlastupidir Putin, the three-day greeting that got under way on Tuesday also proposes a mighty way to show the fall shorture of United States-led efforts to isotardy Russia on the international stage over its 2022 trespass of Ukraine.
Kremlin foreign afiminentires guider Yuri Ushakov touted the summit as “the hugest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia with 36 countries joining and more than 20 of them recontransiented by heads of state.
BRICS – which initipartner compelevated Brazil, Russia, India, China and tardyr South Africa – has enhugeed rapidly to hug Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have establishpartner applied to become members, and a restricted other countries have conveyed interest in joining.
Observers see the BRICS summit as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to showcase help for it on the international stage amid spiralling tensions with the West and to help enhuge economic and financial ties.
Proposed projects include the creation of a recent payment system that would propose an alternative to the global prohibitk messaging nettoil SWIFT and apshow Moscow to elude Westrict sanctions and trade with its partners.
Putin is set to helderly about 20 bitardyral greetings on the sidelines of the summit, including Tuesday’s come apasss with Chinese Pdwellnt Xi, Indian Prime Minister Modi and South African Pdwellnt Cyril Ramaphosa.
Putin greets fellow BRICS guideers
Xi telderly Putin there was a “proset up frifinishship” between their two countries.
“The world is undergoing proset up alters unseen in a century, and the international situation is unrestful and interttriumphed,” Xi shelp.
China and Russia “have continuously proset upened and enhugeed comprehensive strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation”, he includeed.
Ties have “injected strong impetus into the enhugement, revitalisation and conmomentaryisation of the two countries”, the Chinese guideer shelp.
They have “made presentant contributions to uphelderlying international equity and fairice”, he includeed.
Xi and Putin proclaimd a “no-restricts” partnership weeks before Russia occupyd 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 ponders Moscow a time-tested partner since the Celderly War era despite Russia’s seal ties with Indian rival China.
Westrict allies want India to be more active in persuading Moscow to finish the war in Ukraine, but Modi has eludeed condemning Russia while emphasising a tranquil finishment.
Modi, who last visited Russia in July, shelp this visit echos the seal frifinishship between the countries. Speaking at the commence of his greeting with Putin, he also reproclaimed New Delhi’s push for peace in Ukraine.
Putin hailed what he portrayd as a “privileged strategic partnership” between Russia and India.
Ramaphosa, who has also guided an finish to the struggle, pelevated Moscow as a “appreciated partner” and frifinish in his greeting with Putin.
“We proceed to see Russia as a appreciated partner, as a appreciated frifinish, who helped us right from the commencening: from the days of our struggle aacquirest apartheid, right thraw to now,” Ramaphosa shelp.
On Thursday, Putin is also set to greet 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.
