The event brings together some 4,000 participants from 37 countries and international organizations
© Getty Images / Anadolu / Fabio Teixeira
The 17th annual BRICS summit kicked off on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which currently holds the group’s rotating presidency. The two-day event is dedicated to multilateral cooperation, as well as various global development and governance issues.
Brazil has named six priorities for this year’s agenda: global health cooperation; trade, investment, and finance; climate change; AI governance; reform of the multilateral peace and security system; and institutional development within BRICS.
This year’s summit brings together around 4,000 participants from 37 nations, including senior dignitaries from member states, partner countries, and international bodies, according to earlier estimates by Brazilian officials.
This year, the Russian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. President Vladimir Putin has joined the plenary session – ‘Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic-Financial Affairs, and Artificial Intelligence’ – via video link.
BRICS was founded, primarily as an economic group in 2006, by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. Over the past year, the bloc extended full membership to Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
Last year, at the group’s summit in the Russian city of Kazan, BRICS approved a new ‘partner country’ status in response to a growing membership interest shown by more than 30 countries.
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06 July 2025
19:26 GMT
The group has officially welcomed its newest member, Indonesia, as well as named ten partner countries, according to the joint statement adopted at the summit. Here is the list of the official partners of BRICS:
- Belarus
- Bolivia
- Kazakhstan
- Cuba
- Nigeria
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- 19:09 GMT
The Russian delegation led by top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has met with India’s delegation headed by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
© The Russian Foreign Ministry
- 18:39 GMT
The group has unequivocally condemned the strikes recently unleashed by Israel on Iran, expressing “grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East.”
“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since June 13, 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the BRICS member states said in a joint statement. “In this context, we reiterate our support for diplomatic initiatives aimed at addressing regional challenges. We call upon the United Nations Security Council to be seized of this matter.”
- 18:13 GMT
Next year’s BRICS summit will take place in India, the members of the group said in a joint statement. The document was adopted by the BRICS leaders during the plenary session of the summit.
- 18:07 GMT
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding a string of bilateral meetings with fellow top diplomats from other BRICS countries and partner states. Thus far, Lavrov has held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Brazil’s top diplomat, Mauro Vieira, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
© The Russian Foreign Ministry
- 17:59 GMT
South Africa remains “gravely concerned” about the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East, the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said, invoking the recent conflict between Israel and Iran.
“The recent attacks by Israel and the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran raise serious concerns of international law, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the protection of civilians,” he told the plenary session.
- 17:17 GMT
The UN Security Council must be expanded with new permanent members, the Brazilian president has said, arguing that the global body has long lost its credibility and effectively become paralyzed. Delaying the reform of the Security Council only “makes the world more unstable and dangerous,” Lula warned.
“Every day we spend with an outdated and exclusionary international structure is a day lost in solving the serious crises that afflict humanity,” he stated, arguing that new permanent members from Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean should be added.
- 16:53 GMT
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has criticized a recent NATO decision to sharply increase its defense spending, accusing the members of the US-led bloc of neglecting their global commitments.
“It is easier to allocate 5% of GDP to military spending than to fulfill the 0.7% promised for official development assistance. This shows that the resources to implement the 2030 Agenda do exist, but they are not made available due to a lack of political will. It is always easier to invest in war than in peace,” the summit’s host stated.
- 16:36 GMT
The Global South has long been a victim of “double standards” with regard to its development, distribution of resources and security-related issues, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.
“BRICS remains a powerful force for economic cooperation and global good,” he stated at the plenary session.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shake hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit family photo on July 6, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © Getty Images / Wagner Meier
- 15:52 GMT
The BRICS nations are continuing to expand cooperation “in key areas of politics and security, economics and finance, cultural and humanitarian contacts,” Putin has said, expressing hope that the summit will be fruitful.
“I believe that the final declaration of the Rio de Janeiro summit, which has been prepared for approval, creates a good foundation for our further joint work in the traditional BRICS spirit of continuity and equal cooperation,” he added.
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