Overview

• In a written interview to Xinhua ahead of the Tianjin meeting, Vladimir Putin said Russia and China are working to make BRICS a key pillar of global governance.
• He condemned what he called discriminatory sanctions that slow development for emerging economies, as the U.S. president threatens 10 percent tariffs on BRICS members.
• Putin urged changes to global institutions, backing a more representative UN Security Council alongside reforms at the IMF and World Bank.
• He pointed to concrete steps with China, citing expanded yuan–ruble trade that reduces the role of the dollar and euro and a “Far Eastern Route” gas project targeted for 2027.
• Putin is in China for the Aug. 31–Sept. 1 SCO summit, with bilateral talks expected with Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.