BRICS Summit 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Putin says more than 30 countries want to join bloc | WATCH

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and other world leaders at a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, part of the Kremlin's efforts to challenge Western global clout. Speaking at the start of Wednesday's BRICS meeting, Putin named the deepening of cooperation in the financial sector as part of its agenda. He said participants were also set to discuss a range of international issues including the settlement of regional conflicts, along with the expansion of the BRICS group of countries.

Russia said it has no intention of abandoning Iran if Israel attacks them. "We are developing cooperation with Iran in a variety of areas. We intend to do this further."

The world leaders pose for the family photograph of the BRICS Summit 2024 in Russia's Kazan city. "Stronger and united together for an inclusive and multipolar world. A historic moment for the BRICS as the leaders take the first photo of the expanded BRICS family at the XVI BRICS Summit," wrote the Ministry of External Affairs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the world leaders at the Plenary Session of the BRICS Summit at the Kazan Expo Centre in Russia.

Russia: The Plenary Session of the BRICS Summit begins at the Kazan Expo Center. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the world leaders. 

Russia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are seen interacting after the family photo at Kazan Expo Center.

 More than 30 countries have expressed a desire to join BRICS, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the group on Wednesday. Putin said the group would discuss its expansion at the meeting, while keeping in mind the need to maintain efficiency.

Chinese President XI Jinping arrives at BRICS summit venue

PM Narendra Modi arrives at BRCIS Summit venue in Kazan | VIDEO

BRICS Summit: World leaders, Delegations arrive to the BRICS summit venue | WATCH

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of financial settlement problems during bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the RIA news agency cited Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as saying on Wednesday. Putin hosted a dinner on Tuesday for heads of states who had arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for a meeting of the BRICS countries and had one-on-one conversations with a number of them.

Russia wants the BRICS countries to find alternative international payment solutions, hoping it can help resolve increasing problems in settling trade payments, even with friendly countries such as China, where local banks fear they could be hit by secondary sanctions by the United States.

Russia welcomed the Chinese and Brazilian peace initiative on Ukraine, which was discussed in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS forum in Kazan, the Interfax news agency cited a senior Kremlin aide as saying on Wednesday. Putin hosted a dinner on Tuesday for heads of state who had arrived in Russia for the meeting and had one-on-one conversations with a number of them, Yuri Ushakov said.

1. Foreign Minister Vikram Misri, during a press conference on Wednesday late night, the immediate focus will be on disengagement and then the issue of de-escalation and de-induction of troops will be taken up at an appropriate time.
2. "What it will entail is that in the pending areas under discussion, patrolling and grazing activities, wherever applicable, will revert to the situation as it existed in 2020," he said.
3. The disengagement agreements reached previously were not reopened in these discussions and the pact reached early Monday morning focused on issues that had remained outstanding in the last couple of years, he said.
4. Asked to analyse the overall situation, Misri called it a premature question and noted the focus is to implement the agreement on the ground.
5. To another query, he said the arrangement worked out is expected to prevent clashes as happened in the past on the LAC.
6. "We will have to make continuous efforts that the mechanisms of the agreement will be such that such clashes can be stopped," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold bilateral talks on Wednesday at around 4:30 pm IST on the margins of the BRICS summit in Russia, in their first structured meeting since the eastern Ladakh border row erupted in May 2020. In November 2022, PM Modi and Xi exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation at a dinner hosted by the Indonesian President for the G20 leaders. In August last year too, the Indian prime minister and the Chinese president held a brief and informal conversation in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit.
The meeting between Modi and Xi will take place in Kazan, the venue for the BRICS summit.

(Reported by- Vijai Laxmi)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday to attend the meeting of the heads of states of the BRICS group, the TASS news agency cited local authorities as saying. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry criticised Guterres this week for his acceptance of an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the BRICS summit while staying away from a "peace summit" on the war in Ukraine. Guterres' office has said he would discuss the Ukrainian conflict with Putin, as well as the crisis in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit as both countries have taken significant steps towards easing tensions along their shared border. The meeting in the capital of Tatarstan marks the first formal interaction between the two leaders in five years and follows the two countries reaching an agreement on resuming regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.