BRICS Partner States Expansion Gains Moscow’s Support, Says Peskov

Moscow, September 8 – During a virtual briefing with Sputnik India, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the progress of India’s BRICS chairmanship and highlighted Moscow’s endorsement of expanding the grouping’s partner‑state format.

Peskov stated that BRICS unites nations that share a similar outlook on driving global development and cooperation across multiple domains. He reiterated Russia’s commitment to strengthening the alliance.

“The summit in New Delhi will be a decisive milestone for India’s tenure as chair,” he noted. “We value the outcomes of this period and are convinced the summit will be successful.”

He recalled the origins of the alliance, which began roughly twenty years ago as the RIC (Russia‑India‑China) forum. Brazil’s accession turned it into BRIC, and South Africa’s later inclusion completed the current BRICS structure.

According to Peskov, BRICS is not a formal organization – it has no charter, permanent regulations or a standing secretariat – and operates on the shared belief that member states can jointly advance development and cooperation.

Russia contributes to the three pillars of BRICS collaboration – policy and security, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural‑humanitarian interaction – and is advancing several domestic initiatives within the group.

On the question of broadening BRICS formats, Peskov expressed support for the “Partner States” category introduced in 2024. He listed Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan as countries that have received this status and are gradually being integrated into BRICS mechanisms.

He rejected the claim that BRICS is positioned against Western nations. “We share India’s view that the grouping is not anti‑Western. It exists for its members and for nations that endorse its ideology, not as a tool against any third party,” Peskov said.

India is set to host the 18th BRICS summit on September 12‑13 in New Delhi. The summit’s theme – “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” – reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Humanity First” ethos and a focus on people‑centric development.

The foreign ministry says the summit will see leaders from member, partner and invited states discuss ways to deepen cooperation, align on common priorities and address global and regional issues.