Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, October 24, 2024. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA Hide caption
toggle caption Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA
MOSCOW, Russia — The Kremlin’s message boils down to: “We still have many friends in the world.”
Over three days in the Russian city of Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted more than 20 leaders from many of the world’s fastest-developing countries. Each photo shoot, each bilateral meeting, each handshake seems to prove that the West’s attempts to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine have failed.
Speaking to international journalists near the end of a summit in the Russian city of Kazan, President Putin dismissed reports of a conspiracy with President Trump as old news, saying that reports that Russia was trying to sow chaos in Western politics were “nonsense. ”
President Putin said the future relationship between Russia and the United States depends on the next administration. But he later added that the Russian government would be willing to escalate if necessary.
Putin also commented on Western intelligence reports that North Korean troops are currently stationed in Russia and preparing to deploy to Ukraine, saying, “If you see something in the satellite images, it’s there.” It must be.”
He also pointed to the newly ratified security agreement between Russia and North Korea, adding that he has never doubted North Korea’s commitment to the agreement.
The international gathering was for the 16th annual BRICS+ Summit, an acronym for the initial members Brazil, Russia, India, China and, soon after, South Africa, when the economic bloc was first launched in 2009. It was made by taking
The ‘+’ was added to reflect the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates to this year’s ranks. Other countries have since applied for membership as well, including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia.
More countries are likely to appear.
The final day of the summit was billed as an “outreach” to the countries of the Global South, which are at the heart of Russia’s foreign policy after Ukraine.
Addressing a roundtable discussion of around 30 countries, President Putin told the assembled BRICS+ members and guests that the two countries “share similar ambitions, values and visions for a new democratic world order.” he said.
He accused Western countries of hoarding the world’s wealth, goods, and even concepts such as human rights, climate change, and democracy.
From left, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday, October 1. Prior to the Reach/BRICS Plus style session, they attended a family photo ceremony. 24th, 2024. Alexander Nemenov/Pool AFP Hide caption
Toggle caption Alexander Nemenov/Pool AFP
BRICS+ countries already account for about 45% of the world’s population and about 35% of the world’s economic output. Most of them are from China.
Russia views this dynamic as BRICS+ representing a new global majority, collectively more powerful than the West and prepared to exert economic and political power against the United States and its European allies. I’m putting this together as proof of that.
What about the prey? Many may agree, but not everyone is in as dire a situation as Moscow is these days.
Founding members India and Brazil see BRICS+ not as a tool to fight the West, but as a forum to expand trade opportunities.
The group is also hampered by major regional rivalries such as India and China, which have traditionally weakened its influence.
Some countries, particularly Beijing and New Delhi, are openly benefiting from access to Russian oil and gas exports as a result of Western sanctions. But even Russia’s closest trading partners are not willing to openly support Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Indian Prime Minister Nirendra Modi called on President Putin to end the war “quickly”. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who famously promised an “unlimited partnership” with President Putin, publicly supported a negotiated settlement.
When asked about the BRICS member state’s thoughts on the war, Putin appeared to confirm that the Kremlin leader had reported that North Korean troops had been sent to Russia on their way to fight in Ukraine. Yet most admitted they simply wanted the war to end.
The BRICS+ group’s communiqué expressed bland gratitude for its members’ peace efforts.
In contrast, statements regarding the Middle East crisis, and even wild cat protection, were much stronger. In fact, it was difficult to find any concrete results from the BRICS+Kazan summit beyond such a declaration of intent.
Russia’s much-publicized pitch for an alternative global payments system, effectively a workaround for doing business under Western sanctions, has so far come under fire.
Asked by Russian state media about plans to bypass the West, Putin said: “We have not created an alternative and we will not create one in the future.”
Chak Chak may have been the most unifying idea at the summit. Chakchak was a local Kazan treat given to foreign dignitaries (who were visibly delighted) upon arrival.
BRICS+ may indeed be the future, but for now its strength remains largely symbolic.
And apparently, that’s the perfect fit for this year’s host. A key Kremlin adviser touted the event as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” in Russia.
“BRICS has shown the limited power of the West over the rest of the world,” wrote pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov, who declared the event a success.
“For now, this shows that they are not isolating Russia,” he added.
“That in itself is the main achievement of BRICS.”
