Russian President Vladimir Putin will sit with the main media heads of the BRICS countries.

The Kremlin press service said that today Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with the heads of the leading media of the BRICS countries. The BRICS Summit is being held in Kazan, Russia on October 22-24.

Putin holds regular meetings with foreign journalists. He last met with international news agency heads at an event organized by Tas News on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last June. The meeting was attended by media executives from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Russia was represented there by General Andrey Kondrashov, Director of TASS News. Conversations focus on international relations, the Ukraine conflict, Western sanctions, cultural relations between Russia and the European Union, and US policy.

Earlier, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin is expected to address the BRICS Business Forum on October 18.

At the summit, Russia expects to welcome the leaders of nine BRICS member states and about 15 other countries interested in joining the bloc. Besides, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia has been invited. He expressed his desire to join BRICS.

BRICS is a structure that cannot be ignored, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters last week.