Johannesburg — India has expressed its full support for the expansion of the BRICS group, while Brazil is not as enthusiastic about the idea. The comments from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came at the second day of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He said that India would welcome moving forward with consensus on the expansion. Russia and China are championing the expansion, with South Africa also in support. However, analysts have suggested that India and Brazil, which traditionally put non-alignment at the core of foreign policy, may not be as keen on the idea. South African officials say more than 40 countries from the Global South have shown interest in joining BRICS, with more than 20 making formal requests to join. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that the grouping should not seek to rival the United States and G7 economies. He was thought to be the main holdout to expansion, because of fears it would dilute the group's influence. Lula called the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans as "suffocating" and hinted at the possibility of the BRICS bank increasing lending to other countries with "different criteria" to stimulate their economies. "We want BRICS to be a multilateral institution, not an exclusive club," Lula said. Any new members would need to meet certain conditions, so the group does not become a "Tower of Babel", he said. The other BRICS leaders, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, China's Xi Jinping, and Russia's Vladimir Putin, also spoke at the summit. Ramaphosa focused on partnerships with Africa and how BRICS could put the continent's interests on the agenda. He also said an announcement would be made with regard to proposed changes the grouping hopes to implement related to the international financial system. Putin criticized "ongoing neocolonialism" and countries that promote their own hegemony. He also said Russia is open to dialogue to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Lula said that BRICS countries are ready to join efforts to seek an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. He also highlighted other conflicts that he said do not receive the attention that they should. "All deserve to live in peace," he said. Xi said he was glad that so many countries are enthusiastic about possibly joining BRICS. He also highlighted the importance of stability and certainty, and said there was a need to deepen cooperation to build growth. He criticized a new "Cold War mentality" across the globe, and said that countries should "respect all modernisation paths" that individual nations choose for themselves. Ramaphosa reiterated that "development is not a privilege of the few," saying the BRICS group should remain united and also play a key role in working to stabilize the world. Meanwhile, Egypt's Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, arrived on Wednesday at Oliver Reginald Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, to participate on behalf of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in the 15th summit meetings. The summit is being held under the formula "BRICS Plus", under the title "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Multilateral Comprehensive Action". The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a speech on behalf of Egypt at the high-level dialogue session on Thursday. He is also expected to participate in discussions in some of the other sessions, in addition to holding meetings with representatives of companies.
