BRICS expansion is progressing without setbacks, as no invited countries have declined partnership offers, with the finalized list expected before year-end, Russian officials confirm.

BRICS Expansion Gains Momentum: No Declined Invitations

Russia has confirmed that no countries have declined invitations to join BRICS as partner states, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. In an interview with Tass, Ryabkov stated:

As of today, the list is not closed yet; no invitations have been rejected and the [Russian] chairmanship expects to make the list public before the end of the year.

During a meeting of sherpas and sous-sherpas in Yekaterinburg, officials were informed about the developments, with Ryabkov adding, “Everyone agrees that this is the right path.”

He highlighted the ongoing processes, saying: “The matter is that not all the potential partners have completed their internal procedures. So if we release an incomplete list now, we may put those who haven’t yet completed their procedures in an awkward position. That said, we need to have patience. Once again, no invitations have been rejected.”

Ryabkov also shared:

We expect to publish the complete list of the countries that will become BRICS partners before Russia’s chairmanship ends at the end of the year.

“I cannot name these countries at this point because it will be at odds with the course of action that we agreed on with other BRICS members and have been pursuing since the Kazan Summit,” he clarified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted during the BRICS summit in Kazan that the list of partner states had been finalized, but names were withheld to ensure countries had time to respond. Putin explained: “First, invitations would be sent to those countries and once they gave a positive response, the countries’ names would be announced.” Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined BRICS on Jan. 1 as full members, marking a significant expansion for the bloc, which already includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Brazil will assume the BRICS chairmanship next year, continuing the momentum of this strategic growth.