The BRICS summit in Russia will be the "the largest foreign policy event ever held" by Russia, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov has said. The summit with include 36 countries with over 20 represented by heads of state. Russian President Vladimir Putin has positioned the BRICS summit as a counterweight to the West.

Russia also advocates expanding cooperation in subsoil use. In July, the first meeting of the BRICS Geological Platform, which provided a venue for an expanded sharing of experience in mineral exploration and mining, took place in Moscow.