On November 28, the Valdai Club held an expert discussion titled “BRICS Today: Plateau or New Rise?” Moderator Timofei Bordachev called BRICS one of the central issues in international relations, and invited participants to discuss why countries around the world have placed such hopes on the group and how BRICS will continue to develop and respond to the challenges emerging in the modern world.
Pavel Knyazev, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Russia's Sous-Sherpa for BRICS, emphasised that the frequent recent claims about the BRICS group's ineffectiveness are far from the truth. In its nearly twenty-year history, BRICS has come a long way. By 2025, its size had more than doubled—or even quadrupled, if partner countries are included—and it had become a mature strategic partnership of states united by a shared vision. Its members differ in civilisational backgrounds, representing different continents and cultures, each with its own national identity and opinions. They are nevertheless united by a commitment to the principles of equality, openness, and mutual respect, without which the group could not exist. This makes BRICS, in many ways, a pioneering international phenomenon – a complex and multifaceted mechanism for interstate, equal cooperation across a wide range of fields. Accordingly, the growing interest in BRICS is no coincidence – it reflects a global demand for more inclusive, equitable, and representative interaction.
Victoria Panova, Vice Rector of the Higher School of Economics and Chair of the BRICS Expert Council, believes that BRICS has achieved so much and expanded so much that reaching a ‘plateau’ is no longer such a bad thing. The group doesn't need any hype or additional attention – it is already developing successfully and simply needs to continue its work at the same pace. BRICS also doesn't require more rigid institutional forms that could make cooperation less flexible, but rather the development of virtual platforms that facilitate effective collaboration. Panova also added that it's crucial to engage young people in BRICS-related topics to ensure that this area has a future.
Anna Sytnik, Associate Professor at St. Petersburg State University, BRICS Expert Council expert, and CEO of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Collaboratory," discussed BRICS's policy on artificial intelligence (AI). She noted that the group's approach is characterised by two aspects.
First, BRICS is currently forming an entire belt of institutions focused on digitalisation and AI. Second, it is developing an alternative approach to global AI regulation to that of the West. The growing importance of this area for BRICS countries is largely due to the policies of the US administration, which is aggressively promoting its AI agenda. Many countries in the global majority, in part due to US actions, have realised the need to diversify their cooperation. If we hope to defend technological sovereignty in a world which is fragmenting into technological ecosystems, we need to strike a balance, unite, and launch joint projects. BRICS facilitates this. For the group, it's not about aggressively pursuing innovation, but rather about enhancing strategic resilience in the face of the AI race.
Marco Fernandes,
Brazil's representative in the BRICS Civil Society Council, called for the recognition of Russia's critical role in BRICS, especially in recent years. No other country is making such an effort to promote BRICS. This applies not only to summits – many of the best BRICS initiatives, including in the financial and trade spheres, originate in Russia. "If other countries were as active in BRICS as Russia, there would be an upswing," Fernandes emphasised. "But now, Donald Trump has helped some countries wake up, and they've realised that BRICS is a critical alternative."
