South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, as leaders gather to discuss global governance, trade, development and geopolitical tensions.
The summit is scheduled for September 12–13 under India’s chairship and the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Security.” Ramaphosa is among the BRICS leaders attending the high-level gathering, alongside Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other heads of government.
Bilateral discussions
The meeting between Ramaphosa and Putin is expected to provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss bilateral relations, economic cooperation and major international developments affecting the Global South.
Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the summit and is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders, including Ramaphosa. The Russian president’s participation marks his first in-person attendance at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
South Africa and Russia maintain longstanding political and diplomatic relations, with both countries supporting greater multilateralism and reforms to global institutions. Pretoria is also seeking to expand intra-BRICS trade and investment while promoting African infrastructure and industrial development.
BRICS faces geopolitical pressure
The Ramaphosa-Putin engagement comes as BRICS faces significant geopolitical challenges, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tensions over global trade and competition between major powers.
The expanded BRICS grouping now includes 11 full members, representing a substantial share of the world’s population and economy. The summit will seek to maintain unity among members with differing foreign-policy positions while advancing cooperation on global governance, finance, trade and development.
South Africa is expected to use the summit to promote its priorities around intra-BRICS trade, investment, industrialisation, value addition and infrastructure development in Africa.
The summit is scheduled to conclude with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, setting out the bloc’s position on key international and economic issues.
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