TASS reports that Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said at a press briefing on December 23 that nine countries will officially join BRICS as partner states in January 2025.

Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan will officially become BRICS partners from January 1.

"From January 1, 2025, they will officially acquire the status of BRICS partner states," Ushakov went on to say. "But we expect that in the near future responses will come from four more countries, to which invitations were also sent."

The Kremlin aide added that Eritrea is also seeking to work with BRICS.

Representatives of partner countries will be invited to certain meetings at BRICS summits and meetings of foreign ministers.

"We also believe it is right to involve partners in meetings of high representatives in charge of security issues, parliamentary forum and other events," the Kremlin aide said.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.  BRICS was originally identified to highlight investment opportunities.  The grouping evolved into a geopolitical bloc, with their governments meeting annually at formal summits and coordinating multilateral policies since 2009.  Relations among BRICS are conducted mainly based on non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.

The founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China held the first leaders’ summit in Russia in 2009 under the name BRIC.  Following a renaming of the organization, South Africa attended its first summit as a member in 2011 after joining the group in 2010.  Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates attended their first summit as member states at the 2024 summit in Russia.  The acronym BRICS+ has been informally used reflecting new membership.

BRICS institutions are considered an alternative to institutions such as those led by nations of the G7 bloc comprising some of the leading economies.  Together BRICS has implemented competing initiatives such as the New Development Bank, the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement, BRICS pay, the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication and the BRICS basket reserve currency.