Unity of the strong: BRICS faces the challenge of integrating new members
Strengthening the multilateral world order is one of the most important tasks of the BRICS, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov summed up the results of the two—day summit of the association. The meeting of the group's leaders took place from July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro. Integration of new members and partner countries of the association is important for making consensus decisions, Alexander Shchetinin, head of the Latin American department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia. At the same time, the Brazilian press emphasizes the need to prevent BRICS from becoming a "tool for the strongest powers." The Izvestia report describes how the summit ended and what attention was paid to Vladimir Putin's address to the participants of the meeting.
Putin on the front pages of Brazilian newspapers
On July 7, the Brazilian press published the results of the first BRICS day. The editorial of the national daily newspaper O Globo surprisingly does not include a general photo of the leaders of the member countries of the association, but a shot from the first plenary session during Vladimir Putin's speech. Moreover, the Russian leader is captured in close-up.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the BRICS summit via video link
An entire page was devoted to summarizing the interim results of the summit. Under the photo with the image of the Russian president, the caption "Absent, present" — he spoke via video link.
— The authority and influence of our association in the world are growing from year to year. BRICS has rightfully established itself among the key centers of global governance, and the solid voice of our states in support of the fundamental interests of the global majority is increasingly heard in the international arena. BRICS has many like-minded people among the countries of the Global South and East. They are impressed by the culture of open partnership and cooperation that has developed in the association, mutual respect and consideration of each other's opinions," said Vladimir Putin.
The text of the declaration adopted by the BRICS countries does not condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine and is limited to expressing appreciation for the mediation efforts of the members of the association to resolve the conflict. However, in addition to the points calling for a peaceful end to existing conflicts, a separate part of the 31-page declaration was devoted to the work of the BRICS. In particular, the leaders recognized that the expansion of the association and its agenda require adjustments to the group's working methods.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his remote participation in the opening of the BRICS summit
For a long time, the BRICS included five countries — Brazil, India, China, Russia, and South Africa. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia became full members, while Indonesia joined the group on January 6, 2025. Thus, the number of its members reached ten. In addition, a new category of partner States emerged last year. On January 1, 2025, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Nigeria on January 17, and Vietnam on June 14 received this status.
The BRICS task now is to ensure that the process of entry of new member and partner countries is successful, so that they integrate into the activities of the association, Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Latin American department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
"Therefore, the issue of further expansion steps belongs to some future, coordinated decisions of all countries," the diplomat said. — Of course, given the importance of the growing place of Latin American countries in world politics and economics, we would welcome their broader and clearer voice in BRICS.
By the way, as for the expansion of the BRICS, according to the Brazilian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, his country supports the inclusion of new countries in the association.
— We strongly support the expansion of BRICS. Indonesia has recently joined us. <...> I think this will enrich the group not only politically, but also economically. There are important countries in the world. BRICS now includes more than half of the world's population, and they are very energetic economic powers," Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares told Izvestia.
By the way, the Brazilian ambassador notes that there are already 11 BRICS countries, probably referring to Saudi Arabia. However, Riyadh, participating in the association's events, including the last summit, did not officially announce its accession.
On the evening of July 6, after the official part, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Janja organized a reception for heads of state and Government, as well as for leaders of international organizations.
At the same time, just a few blocks from the Cariocas summit site (as the residents of Rio de Janeiro call themselves), they celebrated the third day off, which was formed on Monday due to the event. A fair with local deep-fried food was organized in one of the squares, while in another area a DJ was playing trendy music in the middle of the street.
The contrast among the locals is particularly striking: well-dressed and modernly dressed people are walking along the same street at the same time as homeless people are lying on the ground. The part of the city where every meter is not cordoned off and there are no police does not look so safe.
According to one of the latest data, in 2024, the poverty rate in Brazil was 20.9% of the population. At the same time, the share of extremely poor Brazilians reached 6.8%, which is equivalent to 14.7 million people. This category includes people who receive an average of 333 rials (about 5,000 rubles) per month.
Results of the second day of the summit
The second day of the summit began with a shared photo. In the first row are the heads of delegations of the BRICS member countries, in the second row are the partners of the association, and in the third row are representatives of the host countries and organizations, including WHO, the African Union, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Turkey, Colombia and Palestine.
Then all the guests took part in a session entitled "Strengthening the multilateral world order, financial and economic issues and artificial intelligence." Sergey Lavrov also spoke at it.
— Strengthening the multilateral world order in the context of fundamental transformations of the international system is one of the most important tasks facing the BRICS association and the entire international community as a whole. Multipolarity is not a choice, but an objective reality that replaces the outdated neoliberal model, built, in fact, on neocolonial practices. The traditional paradigm of globalization with the predominant role of the so—called developed Western states is becoming a thing of the past," said the head of Russian diplomacy.
The leaders of the BRICS group during the summit
The BRICS countries should try not to bring unification to the point where it becomes an instrument of power for the strongest powers, and continue the struggle for global governance reform, the Brazilian press writes, noting the conflict within local departments that cannot come to a consensus on what exactly the republic needs the BRICS instrument for.
The statements of Donald Trump, who warned that countries that support the BRICS anti-American policy will face an additional 10% tariff, also add fuel to the fire.
— President Trump does not hide his goals, he defends the interests of the United States, primarily economic, in the field of investment and trade. This means that it once again confirms the conclusion that the model of globalization, which the United States has promoted in the neoliberal context for many, many years, and which was accepted by everyone for a certain period, has ceased to function," Sergey Lavrov said.
The minister also noted that the creation of a single currency was not discussed within the framework of the BRICS. However, according to statistics, the volume of transactions that are serviced without using the dollar is growing, Lavrov stressed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the XVII BRICS Summit
— For the BRICS countries, de-dollarization is fundamentally important, it is the cornerstone of economic policy: whose money is what the economy needs. It is believed that the share of American wealth is significant due to the fact that other countries use dollars as a means of payment and therefore have to buy them," says Alexander Savchenko, professor at the Department of Public Administration and Public Policy at the RANEPA.
On the last day of the summit, Sergey Lavrov also met with Bolivian President Luis Arce. The ministers discussed bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in the trade and economic sphere, prospects for the implementation of large-scale investment projects, as well as contacts through BRICS.
In addition, Lavrov held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, with whom he mainly discussed energy cooperation, as well as the situation in the Middle East.
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