Brazil Putin wants to build Brics into a new center of power

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin wants to swear the Brics alliance to stronger cooperation, particularly in the financial sector.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Moscow's aim was to fight the dominance of the US dollar on the world markets with the help of Brics. However, Putin had previously repeatedly criticized the dominance of the US currency and announced just a few weeks ago that he wanted to establish an independent payment and clearing system within Brics.

"Cooperation within the Brics framework is directed against nothing and nobody - not against the dollar, not against other currencies. Its sole aim is to safeguard the interests of the countries participating in the format," said Peskov.

The abbreviation Brics stands for the initials of the first five members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Strict security precautions are in place for the summit, which runs until Thursday in the Russian city of Kazan, because China's President Xi Jinping, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other heads of state and government are also attending.

Russia wants to circumvent Western sanctions with Brics

This is particularly topical for Moscow in view of the war of aggression against Ukraine: as a result of the war, Western industrialized countries have imposed sanctions against Russia, which have hit the country's financial sector particularly hard. For example, Russia was cut off from the international payment information service Swift and access to dollars and euros was restricted. Putin therefore repeated the proposal to settle bilateral trade in national currencies in Kazan during several talks with his foreign guests such as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.

However, Putin also sees the Brics as a political alliance. He is striving to build a new world order without the dominance of the West. At the same time, however, he also emphasized that the Brics alliance, which now also includes Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, is not directed against anyone.

Putin hopes for a counterweight to the West

China and India are by far the two most populous countries in the Brics. According to the Kremlin, this also gives the alliance moral authority, as it speaks for the majority of the world's population.

The addition of new members is intended to give the organization further weight. In total, more than 20 heads of state and government have arrived. Russia sees them as potential candidates for membership. The rapprochement of NATO member Turkey is interesting in this respect. Its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also flew to Kazan.

However, China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping is regarded as the most important guest. China's backing is important for Putin's continued warfare in Ukraine. Like Moscow, Beijing is also interested in breaking the dominance of the West and sees the Brics as a possible instrument for this.

Embrace with Modi and offers of mediation

In any case, the summit provided Putin with plenty of images on the very first day to refute the narrative that he is internationally isolated because of the war. For example, he warmly embraced India's head of government Narendra Modi at his reception in the Kazan Kremlin.

Modi once again offered his host India's mediation in the Ukraine conflict. "We fully support the restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible," said the Indian head of government. Problems should be solved in a peaceful manner. As India has humanitarian issues in mind, the country is in contact with all sides and is also prepared to provide "any kind of support" in the future to end the war. Modi said that he wanted to discuss the issue in greater depth during further talks with Putin.

Modi had already visited Russia once in July. His gesture of hugging Putin caused anger in Ukraine as a Russian missile attack had previously destroyed a children's hospital in Kiev. Later, Modi also hugged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Kiev.

UN Secretary-General also arrives for talks

Putin is also scheduled to hold talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Kazan. According to the Kremlin, they will also discuss the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine. While Russian media justified the visit with the increased importance of the Brics for the West, criticism came from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on Platform X that Guterres had ignored the peace summit in Switzerland and was now traveling to Kazan.

Guterres visited both Russia and Ukraine after the start of the war in order to find a peaceful solution. With UN mediation, Moscow and Kiev concluded the grain deal in the summer of 2022, which allowed Ukraine to export some of its agricultural produce by sea despite the war. A year later, however, Russia terminated this agreement on the grounds that Ukraine was allegedly using the sea corridor set up for grain freighters for arms deliveries. No concrete results are expected from Guterres' current visit to Kazan.

SDA