St. petersburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed today that the BRICS group has become one of the most prominent drivers of global economic growth amid the increasing role of emerging economies and developing countries. In a speech at the plenary session of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), President Putin stated that over the past five years, BRICS countries have generated nearly half of the annual growth in global gross domestic product (GDP). According to Emirates News Agency, President Putin pointed out that "at present, BRICS accounts for approximately 40% of global GDP measured by purchasing power parity." He highlighted that business interests naturally gravitate towards regions exhibiting dynamic development and promising prospects for increasing production and sales. Consequently, the focus of global trade and the financial system is shifting, a change that is already underway. Putin elaborated that during the existence of BRICS, its share of global merchandise trade has more than doubled, with member states accounting for almost a quarter of global exports. This figure continues to grow steadily, as does intra-BRICS trade turnover, which has already surpassed US$1 trillion. The Russian President noted that BRICS countries have significantly increased high-tech exports, with China, a strategic partner, holding the largest number of patents in the field of artificial intelligence. Russia, too, has strong prospects in this area. He emphasized that the global changes underway are creating enormous opportunities as the structure of growth shifts in favor of development centers in the Global South, characterized by population growth, the emergence of a middle class, expanding domestic markets, and the development of scientific centers. Putin concluded that the world becomes fairer when economic growth reaches billions of people previously on the periphery of the global economy. It is crucial that these new centers of growth aspire to determine their own development tra jectories. Over the past five years, nearly half of global GDP growth, 49%, was generated by BRICS countries.