MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with the heads of the leading media outlets from BRICS countries on Friday, the Kremlin press service said.

The meeting will take place ahead of the group’s summit, set to be held in the Russian city of Kazan on October 22-24.

The Russian leader holds regular meetings with the media, including foreign news outlets. He last fielded questions from the heads of international news agencies at a TASS-hosted event on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June. The meeting involved media executives from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and a number of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members, while Russia was represented by TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov. The conversation particularly touched upon international relations, the Ukraine conflict, Western sanctions, cultural ties between Russia and the European Union and US policies.

In February, the Russian president gave a two-hour interview to US journalist Tucker Carlson. Also this year, he gave a written interview to the Xinhua news agency ahead of a state visit to China in May and another written interview to Mongolia’s Onoodor newspaper ahead of a trip to Ulaanbaatar in September. Besides, Putin often briefly talks with reporters on his foreign trips and answers the media’s questions during visits to Russian regions. The head of state traditionally holds an end-of-year press conference in December.

BRICS Business Forum

Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that Putin was also expected to address the BRICS Business Forum on October 18. Ushakov added that there would also be video addresses by a number of heads of state.

Russia holds the rotating BRICS chairmanship in 2024. The Kazan summit will be the first one for the group’s new member states. Until recently, BRICS consisted of Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became full-fledged members of the group on January 1, 2024.