Sawt Falasteen - India, China and S.Africa leaders underpin Putin at key summit

Putin is hosting around 20 world leaders at a three-day gathering of the BRICS group, an event he hopes will show Western attempts to isolate Moscow over its Ukraine offensive have failed.

"We have been in constant touch over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Modi told Putin after the two shook hands and embraced.

"We believe that disputes should only be resolved peacefully. We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability," the Indian leader added.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping meanwhile praised his country's "profound" ties with Russia in what he called a "chaotic" world.

Ties have "injected strong impetus into the development, revitalization and modernization of the two countries," Xi said.

India has walked a delicate tightrope since the Ukraine conflict began, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's actions.

Modi visited Kyiv in August and Moscow in July in an effort to encourage talks, casting India as a potential peacemaker.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has also urged an end to the conflict, praised Moscow as a "valued ally" and friend in his meeting with Putin.

"We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning: from the days of our struggle against Apartheid, right through to now," Ramaphosa said.

The summit, held amidst tight security in the city of Kazan, is the biggest international event in Russia since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began in 2022.

Separate talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian are planned for Wednesday, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet Putin on Thursday.

- 'Multipolar world' -

Among issues on the agenda will be Putin's idea for a BRICS-led payment system to rival SWIFT, an international financial network that Russian banks were cut off from in 2022, as well as the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Moscow has steadily advanced on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine this year while strengthening ties with China, Iran and North Korea -- three of Washington's adversaries.

The United States has dismissed the idea that BRICS could become a "geopolitical rival" but has expressed concern over Moscow flexing its diplomatic muscle as the Ukraine conflict rages.

By gathering BRICS leaders in Kazan, the Kremlin "aims to show that not only is Russia not isolated, it has partners and allies," Moscow-based political analyst Konstantin Kalachev told AFP.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin in 2023 over the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, and the Russian leader abandoned plans to attend the previous summit in ICC member South Africa.

This time, the Kremlin wants to show an "alternative to Western pressure and that the multipolar world is a reality," Kalachev said, referring to Moscow's efforts to shift power away from western nations.

Ahead of the summit, AFP journalists in Kazan reported heightened security and a visible police presence.

The surrounding Tatarstan region, which is some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine, has previously been hit by long-range Ukrainian drone attacks.

Movement around the city centre is being limited, residents advised to stay home, and university students moved out of dormitories, local media reported.

Starting with four members when it was established in 2009, BRICS has since expanded to include other emerging nations such as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.

But the group is rife with internal divisions, including between key members India and China.

Turkey, a NATO member with complex ties to Moscow and the West, announced in September that it wanted to join the bloc.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva cancelled a planned trip to the summit at the last minute after suffering a head injury that caused a minor brain haemorrhage.

Z.AbuSaud--SF-PST