Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Rio de Janeiro on 6 July as leaders arrived for the 17th BRICS Summit, the first to be hosted by Brazil since the bloc’s expansion last year. The two-day meeting at Rio’s Museum of Modern Art gathers heads of state and senior officials from the 11-nation group—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia—alongside invited partners. Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating by videoconference, with Lavrov leading Moscow’s delegation on site. Leaders posed for the traditional “family photo” on 7 July before opening plenary sessions focused on climate finance, global health and the ethical governance of artificial intelligence. The programme includes signing a declaration on funding for climate action and launching a partnership to eliminate poverty-related diseases. Lula has said he will use the summit to advance a common payment system and wider use of local currencies, arguing that dependence on the US dollar hampers development. Security measures for the event include restricted airspace and the temporary closure of Rio’s Santos Dumont airport.