Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the 15th BRICS Summit, expressed his desire to end what he characterised as the “war unleashed by the West and its satellites” in Ukraine.
Speaking by video link to leaders of the grouping, Putin said, “The desire of a number of Western countries to maintain their hegemony in the world led to a severe crisis in Ukraine. The actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine are dictated only by the desire to stop the war of extermination unleashed by the West”.
Putin reiterated the Kremlin narrative that the war was a forced response to actions by Kyiv and the West.
Addressing the plenary session of the summit through video conferencing, Putin also emphasised the need for de-dollarisation. He called upon BRICS countries to expand their use of national currencies in settlements and enhance cooperation among banks.
Additionally, Putin announced that Russia, as the chair of BRICS for the upcoming year, plans to host a summit in Kazan in October 2024.
The Russian premier shared the summit’s motto as “strengthening multilateralism for global development and security” and mentioned plans for around 200 political, economic, and public events during Russia’s chairmanship.
Before participating in the sessions, the BRICS leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gathered for a group photograph. Notably, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented Russia in the photo instead of Putin.
BRICS is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
This summit marked a significant event as it was the first in-person BRICS Summit in three years, following a series of virtual meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
