MOSCOW, Russia — The Kremlin’s message boiled down to this: we still have plenty of friends in the world.
Over three days in the Russian city of Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted more than 20 leaders from many of the world’s fastest developing nations. With each photo op, each bilateral meeting, each handshake seemingly proof the West’s attempts to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine had failed.
Speaking to international journalists in the closing hours of the summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Putin dismissed reports of conspiratorial ties with Trump as an old story and called reports of Russia trying to sow chaos in Western politics “nonsense.”
Putin said Russia’s future relations with the U.S. will depend on the next administration. But later he added that Moscow would not shy away from escalation if necessary.
Putin also commented on Western intelligence reports of North Korean troops were now in Russia and preparing to deploy to Ukraine, saying, “if satellite photos show something, it must be there.”
He then pointed to a newly ratified Russia-North Korea security pact, adding he never doubted Pyongyang's commitment to the treaty.
The international gathering was for the 16th annual BRICS+ summit , an acronym carved from initial members Brazil, Russia, India, China and, soon after, South Africa, when the economic bloc was first launched in 2009.
A “+” was added to reflect the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates to the ranks this year. Others — including Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia — have since applied for membership as well.
More nations may be on the way.
The final day of the summit was billed as “outreach” to countries in the Global South — a core focus of Russia’s foreign policy in the wake of Ukraine.
Addressing a roundtable of some 30 nations, Putin told the gathered BRICS+ members and guests that their countries “share similar ambitions, values and a vision for a new democratic world order.”
He lambasted Western nations for hoarding global wealth, goods, even concepts like human rights, climate change, and democracy.
BRICS+ nations already make up some 45% of the world’s population and some 35% of global economic output. Most of it from China.
Russia has framed that dynamic as proof that BRICS+ represents an emerging global majority, one collectively more powerful than the West and ready to flex its economic and political muscle against the U.S. and its European allies.
The catch? Many may agree, but not all are as aggrieved as Moscow these days.
Founding members India and Brazil view BRICS+ less as a vehicle to do battle with the West than a forum for expanding trade opportunities.
The group is also hampered by key regional rivalries, such as between India and China, that have traditionally diluted its impact.
Some — notably Beijing and New Delhi — have openly benefited from access to Russian oil and gas exports as a result of Western sanctions. But even Russia’s closest trade partners aren’t willing to openly endorse Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
Indian Prime Minister Nirendra Modi called on Putin to “quickly” end the war. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who famously pledged a “partnership with no limits” with Putin, publicly endorsed a negotiated settlement.
When asked about BRICS members' thoughts on the war, Putin acknowledged that most simply want it to end — even as the Kremlin leader appeared to acknowledge reports that North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia en route to battle in Ukraine.
The BRICS+ group communique blandly thanked members for their peace efforts.
By contrast, statements on the crisis in the Middle East, even the protection of wild cats, were far more forceful. Indeed, it was hard to find concrete results from BRICS+ Kazan summit beyond such statements of intent.
A highly touted Russian pitch for an alternative global payment system — in effect, a workaround for doing business under Western sanctions, flamed out for now.
“We didn’t create an alternative and we won’t,” said Putin when asked by Russian state media about plans to circumvent the West.
The most unifying idea of the summit may have been the chak chak — a local Kazan treat presented to (visibly pleased) foreign dignitaries upon arrival.
BRICS+ may indeed be the future, but its strength remains mostly symbolic for now.
And, it appears, that suits this year’s hosts just fine. A key Kremlin adviser touted the event as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” in Russia.
“BRICS showed the limited power of the West on the rest of the world,” writes Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst who proclaimed the event a success.
“For now, it demonstrates they haven’t isolated Russia,” he added.
"That in itself is the main accomplishment of BRICS.”
Copyright 2024 NPR