Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow, Russia on October 18, 2024. Alexander Zemlianichenko | Via Reuters
Russia is hosting the latest BRICS summit, welcoming its geopolitical allies and promoting its agenda to establish a “new world order” that challenges the Western powers.
The BRICS group initially consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, and China before South Africa joined in 2010, leading to the current name. It has evolved into a geopolitical forum for the most influential nations outside of the West.
The BRICS now have more influence after Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined the group in January. Membership in the bloc is becoming attractive for countries seeking to enhance trade, investment, and economic growth.
Russia has been seeking to attract the “Global South” countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, contrasting them with the “Global North” of industrialized nations traditionally led by the U.S.
President Vladimir Putin has frequently expressed his ambition to establish a “new world order” to challenge the dominance of the U.S.-led West.
As the current holder of the rotating BRICS presidency, Russia, facing economic isolation and heavy Western sanctions, aims to showcase its global influence and strong allies willing to overlook its ongoing conflict in Ukraine during this year’s summit.
Delegates listened during the plenary session as Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his remarks via video link at the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on August 23, 2023. Alet Pretorius | Afp | Getty Images
Putin has described the expanded BRICS group as a “strong indicator of the association’s growing authority and its role in international affairs,” suggesting that the “BRICS+” format will challenge the West both geopolitically and economically.
“The countries in our association are essentially the drivers of global economic growth. In the foreseeable future, BRICS will generate the main increase in global GDP,” Putin said at the BRICS business forum in Moscow last Friday, as reported by Reuters.
“The economic growth of BRICS members will increasingly depend less on external influence or interference. This is essentially economic sovereignty,” Putin added.
In October, Putin expressed openness to discussing the “parameters of interaction in the emerging multipolar world” and building a new world order with allies during the summit.
Putin emphasized that the BRICS and Outreach/BRICS Plus summit would provide a platform for discussions with almost 40 Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American countries to expand ties with the “Global South.”
Russia’s chairing of the summit will be used to demonstrate its strong position within the emerging order, according to security analyst Callum Fraser from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
The 16th BRICS summit is focused on “strengthening multilateralism for just global development and security,” with discussions on pressing global and regional issues across politics, security, the economy, finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
The Kremlin indicated that the possible expansion of the BRICS group through the establishment of a new category of “partner states” would also be explored.
While the conflict in Ukraine is not officially on the agenda, participants may raise the issue at their discretion, according to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Meetings are planned between Putin and various leaders attending the summit, including Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mahmoud Abbas, and Antonio Guterres.
A “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” agreement between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to deepen military and defense cooperation.
Meetings with Cyril Ramaphosa, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and other leaders are also scheduled. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva canceled his trip due to an accident, while Saudi Arabia and Argentina’s participation in the summit is notable.