Financial cooperation and BRICS expansion are on the table as Putin hosts Global South leaders

KAZAN, Russia (AP) — 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.

Putin said the agenda included deepening financial cooperation, including the development of alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems, as well as settling regional conflicts and moving to expand the BRICS group of countries.

“The BRICS strategy in the global arena conforms with the strivings of the main part of the global community, the so-called global majority,” Putin said at the start of Wednesday's meeting. “This approach is especially relevant in the current conditions when truly radical changes are underway across the globe, including the shaping of a multipolar world.”

The alliance that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has expanded to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and several others have expressed interest in joining.

The three-day summit in the city of Kazan that began Tuesday is attended by 36 countries, highlighting the failure of U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine. The Kremlin touted the summit as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia.

The Kremlin has cast BRICS as a counterbalance to the Western-dominated global order and redoubled its efforts to court the countries of the Global South after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners.

Speaking at the summit, Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.”

“It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” he said. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.”

He also proposed creating a new BRICS investment platform, saying that it could “become a powerful tool for supporting our economies, and would also provide financial resources to countries of the Global South and East.”

In a joint declaration, the summit participants voiced concern about “the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions” and reiterated their commitment to enhancing financial cooperation within BRICS. They noted the benefits of “faster, low cost, more efficient, transparent, safe and inclusive cross-border payment instruments built upon the principle of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory access.”

Putin and Xi had announced a “no-limits” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. They already met twice earlier this year, in Beijing in May and at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan in July.

On Wednesday, Xi emphasized the bloc’s role in ensuring global security. "We must work together to build BRICS into a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations and a vanguard for advancing global governance reform," he said.

Xi noted that China and Brazil have put forward a peace plan for Ukraine and sought to rally broader international support for it. Ukraine has rejected the proposal.

“We must uphold the three key principles: no expansion of the battlefields, no escalation of hostilities, and no fanning flames and strive for swift deescalation of the situation,” Xi said of the Ukrainian conflict.

Russia’s cooperation with India has also flourished as New Delhi sees Moscow as a time-tested partner since Cold War times despite Russia’s close ties with India’s main rival, China. Western allies want India to be more active in persuading Moscow to end the fighting in Ukraine, but Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement.

“We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war,” Modi said during Wednesday's BRICS meeting in remarks carried by the Indian foreign ministry. Modi's visit to the summit marked his second trip to Russia in three months.

“As a diverse and inclusive platform, BRICS can play a positive role in all areas,” Modi said.

Putin also was set to meet Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has repeatedly criticized Moscow's actions in Ukraine and is making his first visit to Russia in more than two years. Guterres's trip to Kazan has drawn an angry reaction from Kyiv.

“This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace,” Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on X, adding that “it only damages the U.N.’s reputation.”

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, responded to the Ukrainian criticism by saying that the visit is “a standard practice in attending meetings of organizations with large numbers of important member states, such as the G7 and the G20.”

“There’s a meeting with great importance for the work of the United Nations, with the BRICS countries representing about half the world’s population,” Haq said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives at Kazan Airport for the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexey Filippov/Photo host brics-russia2024.ru via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov, Pool Photo via AP)

From left: United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during BRICS Summit extended format session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center, accompanied by Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali, left, arrives at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, arrives at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov, Pool Photo via AP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends BRICS Summit extended format session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the BRICS Summit narrow format session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the BRICS Summit narrow format session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

From left: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a family photo prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

From left: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

From left: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, center, arrives at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the BRICS Summit narrow format session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

From left: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira pose for a family photo prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

From left: United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

From left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

From left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Air raid sirens echoed across Tel Aviv on Wednesday as United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to end a visit. Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying.

Blinken urged Israel to use its recent tactical victories against Hamas to seek a war-ending deal and bring back dozens of hostages, before leaving Wednesday for Saudi Arabia as part of his 11th visit to the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Both sides appear to be dug in. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting another 250. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization postponed the third phase of a polio vaccine campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, saying the current conditions made it “impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination.”

Here's the latest:

JERUSALEM — Israel’s army said it has arrested over 150 suspected Palestinian militants and facilitated the evacuation of another 20,000 residents over the past day from Jabaliya, an area of northern Gaza where troops have intensified attacks in recent weeks.

The military said in a statement Wednesday that some of the 150 detained had surrendered. The U.N. estimates that 60,000 people have fled from the far north of Gaza southwards, to Gaza City, over more than a two-week period.

A Palestinian resident of Beit Lahiya, near Jabaliya, told The Associated Press that Israel’s military has rounded hundreds of men in northern Gaza, separating women as families try to flee the area.

Hisham Abu Zaqout, a father of four, said he was held for at least three hours along with dozens of men in a school close to the Indonesian Hospital.

The Israeli army says it is trying to uproot Hamas militants from Jabaliya, as well other parts of northern Gaza, issuing mass evacuation orders there earlier this month.

Jabaliya, a refugee camp that has turned into a densely built neighborhood over the decades, has been the scene of on-and-of fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants for months, leaving parts of it destroyed.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped a two-hour meeting Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, where the two men discussed “common efforts” to end the growing conflicts in the region at a time of growing instability, according to spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Riyadh and Washington have been working in tandem in the past year to try and strike a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, which has become more elusive in recent weeks as Israel’s invasion of neighboring Lebanon significantly escalated.

Miller said in a statement that the two leaders also discussed the larger goal of ensuring Saudi Arabia's “greater integration among countries in the region.”

BEIRUT — The head of the disaster management unit in the Lebanese city of Tyre told The Associated Press that despite many fleeing Israeli airstrikes, thousands of residents and people who have been displaced have chosen to stay in the city.

Tyre is home to over 15,000 people, including hundreds of families, who have fled villages in South Lebanon and are now seeking refuge in schools-turned-shelters, Mortada Mhanna said.

Many families are staying put in the schools, he said, as the Israeli army intensifies its aerial bombardment on the city.

“It’s very difficult for many to leave. They’re worried about being subjected to further chaos and displacement,” Mhanna added.

A strike was heard in the background as he spoke on the phone. “That one was huge, can you check where it hit?” he asked a colleague.

Mhanna said his team has also chosen to stay in the city to take care of people, but “it’s a big risk. It’s not safe here anymore," he said.

He added that efforts were made to find alternative locations for the displaced in Mount Lebanon and Beirut, and some have left.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister told a group of pilots Wednesday that an Israeli attack on Iran would demonstrate the “preparation and readiness” of the country’s air force.

“After we attack in Iran, both in the State of Israel and in other places will understand what your preparation process includes, and your preparation and readiness,” Yoav Gallant told air force pilots and operators at the Hatzerim airbase in southern Israel. “The Air Force is a key element in this matter and anyone who tries to harm us will be harmed.”

It was the latest statement from Israel’s leadership to suggest that the country plans to retaliate with force against Iran for the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel Oct. 1.

Israel’s options range from symbolic strikes on military targets to crippling attacks on Iran’s vital oil industry or its secretive and heavily fortified nuclear program, an option US President Joe Biden has urged Israel against.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh as tensions in the region continue to intensify with no breakthrough on a ceasefire deal.

The meeting is one of many Blinken will have with Arab officials in the next few days as the U.S. struggles to achieve some sort of progress just two weeks before the presidential election and in the final stretch of President Joe Biden’s administration.

The two are expected to discuss the growing concerns over humanitarian aide for Gaza as well as a post-war plan for Palestinians.

TYRE, Lebanon — Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in the coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air.

The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Tyre.

Tyre, a provincial capital, had largely been spared in the Israel-Hezbollah war that erupted last month after nearly a year of escalating tensions, but strikes in and around the city have intensified recently.

The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings a few hours prior for dozens of buildings in the heart of the coastal city. It told residents to move north of the Awali River, dozens of kilometers (miles) to the north.

The buildings are surrounded by ancient historical sites and beach resorts.

Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman, said on the platform X that there were Hezbollah assets in the area of the evacuation warning, without elaborating or providing evidence.

First responders from Lebanon’s Civil Defense used loudspeakers to warn residents to evacuate the area and helped older adults and others who had difficulty leaving.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it and other aid agencies had to postpone the third phase of a polio vaccine campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip due to the ongoing war there.

The WHO issued a statement saying the decision was made in concert with UNICEF, the United Nations' Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, Palestinian officials and others after the inoculations were to begin Wednesday.

“The current conditions, including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination, and health workers to operate,” a WHO statement said.

It added: “Given that the area currently approved for temporary humanitarian pauses was substantially reduced — now limited only to Gaza City, a significant decrease from the first round — many children in northern Gaza would have missed out on the polio vaccine dose.”

The WHO said this phase of the vaccinations aimed to vaccinate over 119,000 children across northern Gaza.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian affairs in Gaza, said that the vaccination campaign in north Gaza would begin in the coming days “after a joint assessment and at the request of the WHO and UNICEF.”

The campaign began in September after Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years. Health officials have expressed alarm about disease outbreaks as uncollected garbage piles up and the bombing of critical infrastructure sends putrid water flowing through the streets. Polio is spread through fecal matter. Widespread hunger has left people even more vulnerable to illness.

BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Baerbock, upon her arrival Wednesday in Beirut, said that “we must now work with our partners in the USA, Europe and the Arab world to find a viable diplomatic solution that safeguards the legitimate security interests of both Israel and Lebanon.”

The foreign minister warned that “a complete destabilization of the country would be fatal for the most religiously diverse society of all states in the Middle East and also for the entire region.” She also asked all parties involved in the conflict to protect the United Nations peacekeeper troops stationed in the Israeli-Lebanese border region.

Baerbock is on her 12th visit to the region since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The five Nordic countries said Wednesday that they are “deeply concerned" by bills introduced to Israel's parliament that, if passed, would prevent the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees from operating in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza.

In early October, an Israeli parliamentary committee approved two bills that would sever Israeli government ties with UNRWA, ban UNRWA activity on Israel territory and strip it of legal immunities. The bills passed preliminary approvals by a large margin but must pass several more readings before they become law.

A joint letter signed by the foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden said that if the U.N. body “would no longer be able to exercise its core tasks” it could further destabilize the situation in the region, "and may fundamentally jeopardize the prospects for a two-state solution.”

In the letter, they “strongly urge Israel to ensure continued and unhindered humanitarian access” to Palestinian refugees for UNRWA.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” after its recent tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal to end the war and bring back dozens of hostages.

He spoke to reporters Wednesday before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th visit to the region since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack triggered the war in Gaza.

The United States hopes to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli military operation in Gaza the previous week. But there’s no indication that either of the warring parties have modified their demands since the talks stalled over the summer. Hamas has said its demands have not changed following Sinwar’s death.

Blinken, who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials Tuesday, said he had pressed Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterated his warning that the failure to do so could lead to a reduction in U.S. military aid.

“There’s progress made, which is good, but more progress needs to be made,” on that front, he said.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Air raid sirens echoed across Tel Aviv on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to depart from his hotel to the airport.

The Israeli military said it intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Smoke, apparently from one of the interceptions, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying.

He is on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, hoping to renew cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - Senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine speaks during a news conference in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on Jan. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

A man waves from his shattered house at the site of Israeli airstrikes that destroyed buildings facing the city's main government hospital in a densely-populated neighborhood, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool via AP)

A man walks at the site of Israeli airstrikes that destroyed buildings facing the city's main government hospital in a densely-populated neighborhood, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)w

Relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and their supporters protest outside the hotel where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is staying during a visit with Israeli leadership in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fires to intercept as air raid sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)