“Over 30 Countries Want to Join BRICS,” Says Putin at Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that more than 30 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS during the Plenary Session of the 16th BRICS Summit. Speaking to global leaders at the Kazan Expo Center, he emphasized the group’s commitment to discussing its expansion while maintaining effectiveness.

Putin remarked, “Over 30 countries have shown a desire to join BRICS,” highlighting the significant interest from nations in the Global South and East. He stated, “It would be unwise to overlook this unprecedented interest,” while also stressing the need to strike a balance to avoid diminishing BRICS’s effectiveness.

The summit will address various pressing regional conflicts, as well as the group’s potential expansion.

Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping on the summit’s sidelines, marking their first formal interaction in five years. This meeting follows an agreement between India and China to resume regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, shared a joint photo of BRICS leaders, including Modi, on social media, describing it as a historic moment for the newly expanded BRICS family.

On the eve of the summit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri noted that a key focus area would be establishing modalities for a partner country model within BRICS. He stated, “We are discussing guidelines for implementing a partner country model with BRICS, which is still a work in progress.”

BRIC was originally formed after a meeting between leaders of Russia, India, and China in 2006, and South Africa was added in 2010, formalizing the grouping into BRICS. The recent expansion in 2024 welcomed five new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.