The BRICS call for an end to the war in the Middle East and limit themselves to collecting mediation offers for Ukraine

MADRID 23 Oct. () –

The BRICS have demanded this Wednesday in their final declaration to end the war in the Middle East and contain the parties to avoid an even greater conflict in the region, but regarding Ukraine they have limited themselves to collecting the mediation offers that some countries such as China or Brazil have introduced Russia.

“We stress the absolute need to immediately achieve a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, urgently and without preconditions release all hostages and detainees on both sides, and ensure a large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip. of Gaza,” the statement said.

In it, they have demanded “maximum moderation” from the parties, as well as to avoid any action that leads to an even greater conflict and that will have consequences for the region, if not for the entire world.

However, with regard to Ukraine, the text has limited itself to recalling the different positions of some States regarding how to deal with the crisis in Ukraine. “We note with satisfaction the offers of mediation and good proposals to guarantee a peaceful solution to the conflict,” he concluded.

CHINA AND BRAZIL DEFEND A MULTIPOLAR WORLD AND THE END OF WARS

The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and China, Xi Jinping, have focused their opening speeches at the BRICS summit being held in Kazan, on the defense of a multipolar world, with fewer asymmetric relations between States, and warning of the risk of escalation in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Xi has highlighted the need for “the voice of the countries of the Global South to be heard” and has urged the BRICS to “lead the reform of global governance”, based on “true multilateralism”.

Lula has expressed himself along these lines, who has advanced that the “fight for a multipolar world” and “less asymmetric relations” will be the cornerstone through which the Brazilian presidency of the BRICS will revolve for next year.

Lula has once again insisted on creating “alternative payment methods” among the BRICS countries so that the desired multipolar order is reflected in the international financial system. “It is not about changing our currencies,” he clarified.

“Many insist on dividing the world between friends and enemies. But the most vulnerable are not interested in simplistic dichotomies. What they want is plenty of food, decent work and quality public schools and hospitals,” he said.

The Brazilian president has stressed that these majorities also long for peace. In this sense, he has specifically criticized the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, defending their end and avoiding an even greater escalation.

“This folly is now spreading to the West Bank and Lebanon. Avoiding an escalation and starting peace negotiations is also crucial in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia,” Lula said via videoconference, absent ‘in situ’ from the Kazan meeting. as a result of his domestic accident on Saturday.

“At a time when we are facing two wars with the potential to become global, it is essential to reestablish our ability to work together towards common objectives,” remarked the Brazilian leader.

Likewise, Xi has also called for avoiding an even greater increase in hostilities in Ukraine. “We must build BRICS of peace,” he said. The Chinese president has highlighted proposals such as those of Beijing and Brasilia to accelerate the end of the conflict and has asked to “promote de-escalation as soon as possible.”

Regarding the Middle East, Xi believes that the BRICS should “put pressure” on the parties to “achieve a ceasefire and an end to the killings”, as well as a “comprehensive, just and lasting” solution to the Palestinian issue.

UKRAINE CENTRAL AXIS OF BILATERAL MEETINGS

For its part, the Kremlin has reported that the war in Ukraine has taken over the bilateral meetings that Russian President Vladimir Putin has held so far with heads of state such as those of China, India, South Africa and Egypt.

Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov shared that Putin has conveyed to his counterparts Ukraine’s “unwillingness” to engage in any kind of talks, as Russian forces continue to advance on the front.

Representatives of around thirty States have gathered these days in Kazan for a BRICS summit that inaugurates new members after the enlargement approved at last year’s summit in Johannesburg. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were joined by Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

“It would certainly be a mistake to ignore the unprecedented interest of the countries of the Global South and the East to strengthen their contacts with the BRICS,” said Putin, who has broken with this quote the international isolation to which he has been relegated since gave the order to invade Ukraine more than two and a half years ago.

VENEZUELA AND NICARAGUA, OUT OF THE BRICS FOR NOW

Throughout this Thursday, the accession requests of several more countries are expected to be analyzed, including Bolivia, Cuba, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, Belarus, Malaysia, and Uganda, among others.

Those who have not passed the filter have been Venezuela, Nicaragua or Afghanistan, the three informally vetoed by Brazil, due, in the case of the two Latin American countries, to the cooling of relations, and in the third because they are currently under the Taliban authorities, according to the Brazilian press.

However, the Brazilian Government, through the advisor to the Presidency, Celso Amorim, has assured that they have left aside “moral or political issues” to set the criteria and that they have focused on “objective” issues.

“We are not concerned about the entry or not of Venezuela, we are not judging the country itself morally or politically. The BRICS have countries that exercise different types of regimes, the question is whether they have the capacity due to their political weight and relations, if they can contribute to a more peaceful world,” he justified.

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, arrived by surprise this Tuesday night in Kazan. For now, he has already met with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, and plans to also meet with host Putin.