Putin seeks to rival the West with high-profile summit

Brics meet touted as a diplomatic triumph that shows Russia has partners, allies

- AFP

KAZAN, Russia – Two dozen world leaders gathered in Russia on Oct 22 for the opening of a three-day summit of the Brics group, an alliance of emerging economies that the Kremlin hopes will challenge Western "hegemony".

With the summit, the biggest such meeting in Russia since it ordered troops into Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin is seeking to show that Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the 2½-year offensive have failed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – all key partners for Russia – are scheduled to join the gathering, hosted in the western city of Kazan from Oct 22 to 24.

Mr Putin, Mr Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have already arrived in Kazan, Russian media reported, while Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Mr Xi had landed.

Moscow has made expanding the Brics group – an acronym for core members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – a pillar of its foreign policy.