Putin Plays Host To 36 World Leaders At Brics Summit

Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi and other global leaders have gathered in the Russian city of Kazan for the Brics summit of emerging economies, which the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rallying point for defying the Western liberal order.

- DASHA LITVINOVA

For Russian president Vladimir Putin, the three-day meeting is already seen as a massive success and offers a powerful way to demonstrate the failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its action in Ukraine. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov touted the summit as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia, with 36 countries attending and more than 20 of them represented by heads of state.

The Brics alliance, which aims to counterbalance the Westernled world order, initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but is expanding rapidly. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia joined in January; Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied, and a number of others expressed a desire to be members.

On the sidelines of the summit, Mr Putin also will meet United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres, Mr Ushakov said. It will be the first visit to Russia in more than two years for Mr Guterres, who has repeatedly criticised Russia’s war in Ukraine. Analysts say the Kremlin wants the optics of standing shoulder to shoulder with its global allies amid continued tensions with the West, as well as the practicality of negotiating deals with them to shore up Russia’s economy and its war effort.