South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Russia for the 16th BRICS Summit, where leaders will discuss multilateralism and global security under heightened international scrutiny.

The three-day summit, running from 22-24 October, brings together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.”

Ramaphosa’s first engagement will be a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which comes at a significant moment in global politics. The Presidency said this meeting would “communicate priorities of the seventh administration” and discuss the “strategic importance” of Russian-South African relations.

The South African leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation including:

Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations
Angie Motshekga, Minister of Defence
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency
Parks Tau, Minister of Trade and Industry

Over the three days, Ramaphosa will deliver two country statements and participate in dialogue sessions aimed at strengthening ties between BRICS nations and other developing economies.

The summit begins with a cultural ceremony hosted by Putin, who chairs BRICS 2024. South African officials say Ramaphosa will hold several bilateral meetings with other attending leaders to “strengthen political and economic relations in line with South Africa’s national interests.”

BRICS has gained increasing prominence as an alternative forum to Western-dominated international institutions, representing a significant portion of global GDP and population.