KAZAN, Russia (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday invited China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and other world leaders to a welcoming event. Summit of BRICS countries As part of the Kremlin’s efforts, Challenging the global influence of Western countries.
Putin said the agenda would include deepening financial cooperation, including the development of alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems, as well as moves toward resolving regional conflicts and expanding the BRICS group.
“The BRICS strategy in the international arena is consistent with the efforts of the main parts of the international community, the so-called global majority,” Putin said at the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting. “This approach is particularly applicable in the current situation where truly fundamental changes are underway around the world, such as the formation of a multipolar world.”
The alliance, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied for membership, and several other countries have also expressed interest.
The three-day summit, which began Tuesday in the city of Kazan and was attended by 36 countries, highlighted the failure of U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Russia. ukraine. The Kremlin touted the summit as Russia’s “largest diplomatic event ever held.”
The Kremlin deployed the BRICS as a counterbalance to the Western-led world order, redoubling its efforts to court countries in the Global South after sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia is particularly pushing for the creation of a new payment system that would provide an alternative to the global banking messaging network SWIFT and allow Russia to do business with partners around Western sanctions.
At the summit, Putin accused the United States of “weaponizing” the dollar, calling it a “big mistake.”
“It’s not us who are refusing to use the dollar,” he said. “But what can we do if they don’t let us work? We are forced to look for alternatives.”
He also proposed the creation of a new BRICS investment platform, which he said would be a “powerful tool to support the economy and also provide financial resources to countries in the Global South and East.”
In a joint declaration, summit participants expressed concern about the “destructive impact of illegal unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions” and reiterated their determination to strengthen financial cooperation within the BRICS. They claim the benefits of “faster, lower-cost, more efficient, transparent, secure and inclusive cross-border payment instruments built on the principles of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory access.” pointed out.
Putin and Xi announced an “unrestricted” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The two sides have already met twice earlier this year, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Beijing in May and in Kazakhstan in July.
On Wednesday, President Xi emphasized China’s role in global security. “We must work together to build BRICS into the main conduit for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among countries of the Global South and the vanguard of advancing global governance reforms,” he said.
Xi noted that China and Brazil are seeking to present a peace plan for Ukraine and mobilize broader international support for Ukraine. Ukraine rejected this proposal.
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, President Xi said, “We must abide by the three important principles of not expanding the battlefield, not escalating hostilities, and not inciting flames, and strive to quickly calm down the situation.”
Russia-India cooperation is also flourishing, as New Delhi considers Russia a proven partner since the Cold War, despite Russia’s close ties with China, India’s main rival. . Western allies want India to be more aggressive in persuading Russia to stop fighting in Ukraine, but Prime Minister Modi has avoided blaming Russia while stressing a peaceful resolution.
“We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war,” PM Modi said in remarks carried by India’s Ministry of External Affairs at the BRICS meeting on Wednesday. Prime Minister Modi’s summit visit was his first visit to Russia in three months.
“As a diverse and inclusive platform, BRICS can play a positive role in all sectors,” Prime Minister Modi said.
President Putin spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday, praising the “genuinely friendly” relations between Moscow and Tehran, and praising the “genuinely friendly” relations between Moscow and Tehran, which will be signed during Pezeshkian’s planned visit. He pointed out that the relationship between the two countries should be further strengthened through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement. Moscow. A date for the visit has not yet been set, but Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said it could happen soon.
Putin has repeatedly criticized the Russian government’s actions in Ukraine and was scheduled to meet Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who is making his first visit to Russia in more than two years. Guterres’ visit to Kazan has prompted an angry reaction from Kiev.
“This is a false choice that does not advance the cause of peace,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said, adding, “It will only damage the reputation of the United Nations.”
In response to Ukrainian criticism, President Guterres’ deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the visit was “a standard practice when attending meetings of organizations such as the G7 and G20, which involve a large number of important member states. ”.
“A very important meeting for the work of the United Nations is being held by the BRICS countries, which represent about half of the world’s population,” Haq said.
