Kazan, Russia | BRICS Summit 2024| Vladimir Putin greeted leaders of BRICS countries |gala dinner

A smiling Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (October 23) greeted the leaders of the BRICS countries for the gala dinner on the second day of the Kazan summit intended to show that Western attempts to isolate Russia over the Ukraine war have failed and that Russia is building ties with the rising powers of Asia. On the first working day of the BRICS meeting on Wednesday Russia sought to convince the leaders to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions. The BRICS group grew out of meetings between Russia, India and China which then began to meet more formally, eventually adding Brazil, then South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join. The group now accounts for 45% of the world’s population and 35% of its economy, based on purchasing power parity, though China accounts for more than half of its economic might. Putin opened the summit on Wednesday by saying that more th