Putin shows his chest with the BRICS summit that brings together more than 30 countries in Russia: “We are not isolated”

Starting this Tuesday, Russia brings together more than 30 countries at the BRICS Group summit in Kazan, in the first event of this magnitude since the start of the war in Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, it is the “main event on the world agenda these days.” “Russia is not isolated,” the spokesperson wanted to convince Dmitri Peskov. “In the contemporary world it is very difficult to isolate a country, especially when it is one like the Russian Federation.”

The truth is that Russia does not see the BRICS—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with new members such as Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia—as an alternative to the UN. But He does compare it with the G7, made up of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Japan..

Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin often highlights the importance of these economies in the world market, pointing out that their combined GDP exceeds 60 trillion dollars and that their participation in the global economy already exceeds that of the G7, with an upward trend. . Russia seeks to take advantage of its presidency in the group, therefore, to oppose the “exclusive clubs” of the West, which it accuses of imposing its vision of the world on other countries while invading one for that very reason.

Russian officials stress that the BRICS countries account for almost half of the world’s population, too, and say that In 2028 the combined volume of the group in the global economy will reach 38%taking into account the new members. The final composition of the group will be one of the key issues at the summit, especially the status of Saudi Arabia, still undefined. “We will inform who will represent Saudi Arabia and if they will be present at the summit. From there, we will draw conclusions,” explained Dmitri Peskov, referring to the ambiguous position of Riyadh, invited to join in 2023.

That is another key aspect in this partnership. Alliances are less solid than in the Western bloc, and are more linked to specific interests than to fundamental values.

More than 30 countries have shown interest in participating in BRICS activities or joining as full members, but they are as diverse as Cuba, Türkiye or Malaysia. The authorities of the latter country stressed that their desire to join responds to their policy of neutrality and will not affect their relations with the West. However, others Countries like Kazakhstan have indicated that joining the BRICS is not on their current agenda.

A meeting marathon

The Kremlin confirmed that 24 heads of state and government will attend the summit, including the Chinese president, Xi Jinping; the indian prime minister, Narendra Modi; and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The presence of the UN Secretary General is also expected, Antonio Guterres. The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvawill not attend Kazan for health reasons, after suffering a domestic accident one day before traveling to Russia.

Most of the leaders present will hold bilateral meetings with Putin on the sidelines of the summit. In addition to discussing the economy and accession criteria for new nations, the leaders will address regional and international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, Putin announced last Friday.

This will be the sixteenth BRICS summit and the first in an expanded format after the entry of four new members. Brazil will assume the presidency of the BRICS on January 1, 2025. Curiously, it seems difficult for Putin to attend the next summit. The arrest order from the International Criminal Court is to blame, to which the South American country owes obedience.