BRICS summit in Kazan: Putin's challenge to Western dominance
World leaders are arriving in Kazan, Russia, for the BRICS summit. Vladimir Putin sees the meeting as a key step in challenging the West's political and economic dominance.
According to the "Daily Mail" website, the BRICS summit, lasting from 22nd October to 24th October, is the largest diplomatic event in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, which occurred more than two and a half years ago. Moscow is attempting to demonstrate that efforts by the West to isolate and punish it have been ineffective.
Among the participants are Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey — a NATO member. Even UN Secretary-General António Guterres is attending the summit in Kazan, despite the International Criminal Court's warrant for Putin's arrest for war crimes.
Putin wishes to discuss various topics, including the prospect of creating a new international payment network that would compete with the Western SWIFT system. However, the spectre of the war in Ukraine looms over the summit, and the Russian president will likely face pressure from BRICS partners and other participants to end the conflict.
The Kremlin views BRICS as a tool for geopolitical changes. According to Russian propaganda, it aims to build a bridge step by step to a more democratic and fair world order. Russia is seeking alternatives to the Western economic system, represented by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Everyone has their own interests
However, BRICS members have differing interests and internal disputes. China, as an economic powerhouse, dominates the group, undermining Russia's position. India has tense relations with China due to border disputes and is strengthening ties with the USA. Additionally, the inclusion of countries like Iran, the United Arab Emirates, or potentially Saudi Arabia may increase tensions within BRICS.
Despite these challenges, Russian officials emphasize that the summit demonstrates the Kremlin's enduring position on the international stage and the failure of Western sanctions.
We believe that BRICS is a prototype of multipolarity, a structure uniting the Southern and Eastern hemispheres on the principles of sovereignty and respect for each other, said Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, as cited by the "Daily Mail".
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismisses the summit as a forum for Russia to promote its narrative about the war.
Zelensky cautioned that if Putin succeeds in achieving his irrational objectives, it could signal to other potential aggressors that wars of invasion can be rewarding.
Western analysts note the growing importance of BRICS towards a multipolar world order, but they are sceptical of Russia's attempts to use the group to instigate significant geopolitical changes. Callum Fraser from the RUSI think tank points out that BRICS members primarily follow their national interests and do not form a monolith.
