Vladimir Putin, sidelined by Western nations and accused by the International Criminal Court of being a possible war criminal, hosted 36 world leaders from countries like China, India, and Iran during a BRICS summit aimed at showcasing that Moscow is far from isolated.
A central focus of the summit is accelerating efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international transactions, limiting America’s ability to wield sanctions as a tool to enforce its political agenda.
The UN spokesperson confirmed that Secretary-General António Guterres would attend the summit, just as he did last year, a decision that has angered Western officials, including Ukraine’s foreign ministry. The outrage stems from the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin issued in March 2023 over allegations of child abduction. The UN noted that Guterres would reiterate his position that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violates the UN Charter.
Moscow announced that representatives from 36 nations would be present for segments of the three-day summit, marking the largest international gathering hosted by Putin since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia is presiding over the BRICS group this year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met Putin in Kazan, called him a “dear friend” and lauded the strong ties between their countries, remarking that “the world is undergoing significant changes not seen in a century, with a complex and intertwined international situation.” Putin expressed a desire to deepen relations with China to foster global stability.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the need for a swift and peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Modi’s diplomatic efforts have included visits to Kyiv in August and Moscow in July, seeking to facilitate dialogue, though little progress has been achieved.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has also tried to mediate in the conflict, commended Russia as a “valued ally” and friend, recalling the country’s support during the fight against apartheid.
Speaking with Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS New Development Bank, Putin advocated for using local currencies instead of the dollar or euro, stating that this approach “helps keep economic development as independent from politics as possible under the current global conditions.”
Russia contends that the group now embodies a global majority capable of significantly influencing a new international order.
BRICS has expanded beyond its original five members—South Africa, Russia, China, Brazil, and India—to include nations such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran. Argentina initially applied for membership but withdrew following its presidential election.
Several other nations, often considered “hedging states,” are at various stages of seeking membership, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Guterres, whose attendance remains controversial, the summit is set to welcome other leaders such as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as representatives from Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Indonesia, and Mexico.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, en route to the summit in Kazan, commented, “BRICS offers a pathway to escape American dominance and foster multilateralism. It can be a means to challenge dollar hegemony and counter economic sanctions imposed on nations.”
However, the expansion of BRICS membership risks diluting the group’s ideological unity.
India and Brazil share a desire to reduce dollar reliance, but not as strongly as China or Russia. Despite the anti-Western rhetoric in summit declarations, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has emphasized that BRICS “is not against anyone.” Brazil has opposed Venezuela’s entry to prevent the group from becoming overtly anti-Western.
Alex Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre in Berlin, suggested that the BRICS summit is already a significant boon for Putin.
In an article for Foreign Affairs, he argued that the summit’s message is: “Russia is far from being a global outcast and is instead a key player in a dynamic group poised to shape the future international order. This is not mere rhetoric but a reflection of the Kremlin’s adept diplomacy with non-Western nations and those countries’ pragmatic, self-interested engagements with Russia.”
Putin avoided attending the last BRICS summit in Johannesburg to spare his hosts the embarrassment of arresting him due to the ICC warrant, as South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute.
The Russian leader may be counting on shifting global dynamics, with a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House next month and favorable outcomes in the upcoming elections in Georgia.
In the short term, the future of the Ukraine war hinges on the U.S. presidential election. Even if Trump loses, Europe’s war fatigue is prompting all sides to consider negotiations with Putin while Russian forces still control large parts of eastern Ukraine. Guterres’s participation in the summit could have significant international repercussions.
In 2014, Brazil, China, India, and South Africa abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Their unity weakened after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with India, China, and South Africa abstaining again while Brazil condemned Russia’s actions.
However, BRICS+ was founded not for security purposes, but to develop economic and technological platforms resistant to U.S. pressure and sanctions, partly by bypassing the dollar and promoting the yuan’s internationalization.
Despite the group’s combined GDP surpassing that of the G7 or EU, its share of capital and voting power in institutions like the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) remains smaller due to each member’s contribution determining their influence in the World Bank.
