Putin welcomes leaders from the Global South at BRICS summit aimed at counterbalancing Western influence

KAZAN, Russia (AP) — China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and other global leaders arrived Tuesday in the Russian city of Kazan for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies that the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rallying point to challenge the West. liberal order.

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 adviser Yuri Ushakov praised the summit as “the biggest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia, with the participation of 36 countries and more than 20 of them represented by heads of state.

The alliance that initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa quickly expanded to encompass Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few others have expressed interest in joining.

Observers see the BRICS summit as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to show support for the Global South amid rising tensions with the West and help expand economic and financial ties.

Proposed projects include the creation of a new payments system that would offer an alternative to the SWIFT global banking messaging network and allow Moscow to avoid Western sanctions and trade with partners.

Putin is expected to hold around 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including Tuesday’s meetings with China’s Xi, India’s Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

On Thursday, Putin will also meet with United Nations 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.