Leaders of emerging economies have gathered in Russia for a meeting of the bloc known as BRICS. Many are joining for the first time.
The three-day summit kicked off on Tuesday in the central Russian city of Kazan. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were already members, and the group has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks with his counterparts, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. He called Xi his “dear friend” and stressed the importance of their joint efforts within BRICS.
Putin said, “We intend to continue to increase coordination at all multilateral platforms in order to ensure global security and a fair world order.”
Xi said, “The BRICS cooperation mechanism is currently the most important platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and economies and developing countries.”
A spokesperson for the Russian government said the leaders spent time discussing the war in Ukraine.
Putin spoke about the war in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi said he believes the conflict “should be resolved peacefully.” He added, “In all our efforts, we give priority to humanity, and we are ready to provide any possible assistance in the future.”