WATCH | India and China express full support for the expansion of BRICS

• There appears to be more support from BRICS countries to expand the bloc of nations.
• India and China have indicated they are in support of expanding BRICS.
• There is, however, no clear indication as to how countries will be selected to join.

India and China are both in support of the expansion of BRICS, but there is no clear indication on the criteria which will be used to decide whether a country makes the cut.

On day two of the 15^th BRICS summit, China and India expressed its full support for the expansion of the bloc of countries.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was at first reportedly against expansion, said: "India supports the expansion of BRICS membership, and we welcome moving forward on this, using consensus. BRICS will be breaking barriers and revitalising economies." 

Added to this, Modi said that, under SA's presidency in BRICS, countries in the global south have been given priority.

"We are making efforts to move forward together with all countries," he said.

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China's President Xi Jinping said BRICS countries should avoid ganging up and creating small cliques.

"BRICS countries should work towards multilateralism and not create small groupings and blocs. We need to bring more countries in the BRICS family. We need to pull our strength for a just society," he said.

Twenty three candidates have applied to join BRICS - and an almost similar number have expressed an interest, including Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

One of the attractions of the group is the New Development Bank, created in 2015, with the aim of offering an alternative to the World Bank and the IMF.

Currently, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa form the BRICS community, which makes up a quarter of the global economy, accounts for a fifth of global trade, and is home to 40% of the world's population.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also expressed his support for BRICS expansion.

Meanwhile, Russia's President Vladimir Putin used his virtual address at the summit to blast the west and pin his country's war with Ukraine on powerful nations seeking to protect their global hegemony.

Putin, who is the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant because of the war in Ukraine, addressed the summit virtually.

He said: 

The BRICS summit heard about the global consequences of the war in Ukraine.

READ | BRICS: China and Russia blast the US, while Brazil pushes for a new currency

Being consistently isolated from countries across the globe, Russia has relied on its BRICS partners for political support.

Brazil's President Lula da Silva said the war highlighted the limitations of the UN Security Council.

"We know where the current path of the world can take us. It is unacceptable for the world. We are all suffering the consequences of the war. The Ukraine war shows the limitations of the UN," he said.

He said BRICS would remain a forum to discuss peace and safety, and reiterated its willingness to join efforts to contribute towards an immediate ceasefire.