Washington DC : Amid the BRICS Summit, taking place from October 22 to 24, John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, stated that the United States doesn't view BRICS organisation as a "threat."
The remarks by Kirby came while addressing the reporters during a press conference.
On being asked about the BRICS Summit, Kirby said that the summit shouldn't be viewed as a grand entrance for Russian President Vladimir Putin or Russia and asserted that BRICS as an organisation isn't new.
He said, "On the BRICS, you know, I don't think that you should look at this BRICS conference as some sort of coming-out party for Mr. Putin and for Russia. First of all, the BRICS as an organization isn't new, and we've long said, you know, these countries -- every country gets to make sovereign decisions about who they associate with and in what format."
He added, "And, you know, we don't view the BRICS arrangement as some sort of, you know, threat. These countries can decide for themselves who they want to associate with and especially how they want to be economically linked with one another."
Notably, the BRICS Summit is set to take place in Kazan under Russia's chairmanship on October 22-23. The Summit, themed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security," will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues," according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
BRIC, as a formal grouping, started after the meeting of the Leaders of Russia, India and China in St Petersburg on the margins of G8 Outreach Summit in 2006. The grouping was formalized during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of UNGA in New York in 2006. The first BRIC Summit was held in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009.
It was agreed to expand BRIC into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa at the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York in 2010. South Africa attended the 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011. A further expansion of BRICS took place in 2024 with five new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Putin stated that BRICS plays a significant role in the global economy not only today and that it is quite obvious that this role will increase in the future as well, TASS reported. He said that the countries that are part of the BRICS are in fact the drivers of global economic growth.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday departed for his two-day visit to Russia to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
During his visit, PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan. (ANI)
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday embarked on a two-day visit to Kazan, Russia, to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, underscoring that India attaches "immense importance" to the grouping.
Sharing a post on X ahead of his departure, PM Modi wrote, "Leaving for Kazan, Russia, to take part in the BRICS Summit. India attaches immense importance to BRICS, and I look forward to extensive discussions on a wide range of subjects. I also look forward to meeting various leaders there."