Dmitry Trenin is a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. He is also a member of the Russian International Affairs Council.    

Expanding the membership and working towards financial independence from the West are two important challenges to be discussed at the Johannesburg summit

Never has the BRICS group attracted so much interest around the world as in the run-up to the 15th leaders' summit this week in Johannesburg.

This in itself shows the growth of the bloc's importance since its first gathering – at the level of economics ministers – on the margins of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in 2006, and the initial proper summit in Ekaterinburg in 2009.