BRICS Podcast (EN)

Over the years, the New Development Bank has approved approximately 120 projects worldwide, totalling more than US$39 billion. Many of these projects are well known, including Line 6 of the Qingdao Metro in China; the large-scale Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut project in India; and, in early 2026, financing was also approved for the construction of Brazil’s largest power transmission line, the Graca Aranha – Silvania line. To ensure that every initiative supported by the international financial institution contributes to sustainable progress, an Independent Evaluation Office was established.
Do the assessment criteria vary depending on the specific characteristics of each country? In which BRICS countries will a country portfolio analysis be conducted in the near future? How is collaboration with multilateral development banks structured to harmonise assessment requirements?
Ashwani Muthoo, Director General of the Independent Evaluation Office of the New Development Bank, shared his insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.
TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The key goal set by the government is to achieve a GDP of US$5 trillion. BRICS partners are helping to unlock the potential. Mutual trade turnover with Russia exceeded US$60 billion in 2025, and the two countries intend to increase it to US$100 billion by 2030.
What will help achieve this goal? How is India's partnership with other BRICS countries developing? What role do humanitarian projects play in shaping the BRICS expert community?
Apurv Kumar Mishra, Consultant in the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, shared his insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.
TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

At the end of 2025, Indonesia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. The new trade regime between the two parties provides preferential access to 90 per cent of goods from the Indonesian side. The EAEU covers 90.5 per cent of the product range for the new partner. Meanwhile, Moscow and Jakarta continue to strengthen their strategic partnership. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited the Russian capital twice in 2025.
What benefits does the Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union bring to Jakarta? What unites Russian and Indonesian art?
Fitria Wibowo Tavares, diplomat, spouse of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to Russia, answered these and other questions in the BRICSterview.
TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

In 2025, Nigeria was granted BRICS partner country status. This has provided the Republic with new prospects for development in trade, education, healthcare, and technology. Emmanuel Chukwuka Johnson, Chairman of the Russia-Nigeria Trade and Investment Advisory Council, discussed the potential for further expansion of the Republic's cooperation with the countries of the group.
The speaker believes that closer ties with BRICS member states, particularly with India, China, the UAE, Russia, and Brazil, will open up new horizons of opportunities for Nigeria. These include economic diversification, human capital development, educational exchanges, and strengthening the African republic's position on the international stage.
With which BRICS members does Nigeria already have a long-standing history of cooperation, and in which areas? What has the Republic managed to achieve during its year as a partner country?
These and other questions were answered in a BRICSterview by Emmanuel Chukwuka Johnson, Chairman of the Russia-Nigeria Trade and Investment Advisory Council.
TV BRICS reporter: Yana Panferova

A roadmap for the development of peaceful nuclear energy, untapped mineral wealth and a tourism boom – Russia and Zimbabwe intensified their cooperation across multiple sectors in 2026. The republic, endowed with resources crucial for global industry and the green transition, is seeking to elevate its economic ties to the same high level as its long-standing political and diplomatic relations with Moscow.

What are the prospects for Zimbabwe’s energy sector and its economy after applying for BRICS membership? Which projects and resources are of particular interest to the republic?

Mark Grey Marongwe, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the Russian Federation, answered these and other questions in the BRICSterview.
TV BRICS reporter: Yana Panferova