Around 20,000 delegates from over 30 countries, including senior officials and heads of state, are attending the three-day international forum in Kazan The leaders of Russia, India, China, South Africa, the UAE, and Egypt, as well as the UN secretary-general, have gathered in the Russian city of Kazan for the 16th annual BRICS Summit. The event, which has also welcomed a host of potential BRICS partner countries, is widely seen as a snub to the West and a signal that Russia has not been isolated by Ukraine-related sanctions.

The program of the three-day summit includes diplomatic discussions and high-level bilateral talks on key global issues, such as the challenges facing the global economy, strategic economic security, the development of the Global South and multilateralism, as well as geopolitical issues such as the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts. High on the agenda are also issues such as mutual trade and de-dollarization, as well as plans for further BRICS expansion, as nearly three-dozen countries have expressed interest in formally joining the group or deepening cooperation with it.

The current BRICS member countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has yet to ratify its membership invitation.

BRICS members collectively represent around 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP, according to estimates from global financial institutions. The group is expected to announce new members at the Kazan summit, as well as finalize the establishment of a new ‘partner state’ status.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held several high-level meetings with BRICS heads of state on Tuesday, including talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Putin is expected to meet with the other attendees before the summit wraps up on Thursday, while bilateral meetings are also scheduled between other BRICS members.