India–Russia relations

Two dozen world leaders are gathering in Russia on Tuesday for the opening of a summit of the BRICS group, an alliance of emerging economies that the Kremlin hopes will challenge Western "hegemony."

President Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that Turkey's potential involvement with BRICS and ASEAN should not be viewed as an alternative to its NATO membership, according to reports from broadcaster NTV and others on Thursday.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of his four-day trip to Russia where he highlighted the importance of the growing nature of bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

Türkiye's membership may be welcomed news for BRICS in the near future as Ankara applied for full-fledged membership with the economic bloc this week, according to Russian media.

Sputnik said BRICS may view Türkiye's membership positively, as the country boasts the 17th largest economy in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Azerbaijan has submitted a formal application to join the BRICS alliance, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—a move that has been welcomed by Russia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada announced the application during an interview with Anadolu Agency, stating, "Azerbaijan has officially applied to become a member of BRICS."

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia tests a missile in the Atlantic capable of reaching the US

Russia says it has test-fired a hypersonic missile in the Atlantic Ocean that would have a range that would allow it to reach US territory.

India's offensive capacity has received a big boost as Russia has agreed to help New Delhi develop a new generation of 'Brahmos' missiles with 600km-plus striking range. The Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the new generation missiles could easily hit protected targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Russia will supply 10 million tons of oil annually to India for the next decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, with the mutual deals between the two countries also extending to nuclear power generation.