On Tuesday, the Kremlin adjusted its previous statements about Saudi Arabia’s membership in the BRICS bloc, acknowledging that the kingdom is not yet a formal member. The question of whether Saudi Arabia will participate in the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia remains open.
While Saudi Arabia has received an invitation to join BRICS, it has not officially completed the membership process. Despite this, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov recently referred to the kingdom as a BRICS member and announced that its foreign minister would be attending the summit in Kazan. When asked for clarification, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “The summit is approaching, and we will provide additional details on Saudi Arabia’s representation and draw conclusions accordingly.”
High-level involvement from Saudi Arabia at the October 22-24 summit would be a significant diplomatic win for Russia. Moscow has urged BRICS partners to collaborate on establishing new global financial institutions to serve as alternatives to the International Monetary Fund. The BRICS group, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, has recently expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. For Russia, strengthening the BRICS alliance is a key strategy to counter U.S. influence and resist Western efforts to isolate it through sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
Peskov remarked, “Russia is not isolated. In today’s interconnected world, isolating a country, particularly a major power like Russia, is nearly impossible.”
Saudi Arabia is a crucial ally for Russia, with both nations cooperating closely within the OPEC+ framework. President Vladimir Putin has cultivated strong personal ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, having visited Riyadh last December and describing bilateral relations as being at an “unprecedented level.”
