The BRICS Summit has begun in Kazan, Russia, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This three-day event marks the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia in decades, with key figures like China’s President Xi Jinping, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in attendance.
The BRICS alliance, founded in 2006, consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and aims to challenge Western dominance in global economic and political governance.
This year, BRICS has extended membership invitations to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with most having officially joined except Saudi Arabia. The discussions at the summit center on reducing dependence on the US dollar and the SWIFT system for international financial transactions, as part of a broader goal to reform global economic governance.
At the summit, Putin emphasized the importance of Russia-China cooperation in sectors like energy, transportation, and agriculture. Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s strong ties with Russia, stressing that current global upheavals cannot shake the deep-rooted friendship between the two nations.