The leaders of China, Russia, India and Brazil gathered with dozens of dignitaries in South Africa for a three-day summit that seeks to build a coalition of currently unaligned powers that would counter Western influence throughout the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the conference virtually due to an active warrant for his arrest by the International Criminal Court -- of which South Africa is a member -- for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Representatives from more than 67 countries gathered Tuesday at Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg for the 15th annual BRICS summit, as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, and a number of other leaders from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Leaders are discussing expanding the organization's membership, with more than 40 countries wanting to join BRICS, including Ethiopia, Iran, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.
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