(Kazan) Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that it is an “illusion” to imagine Russia being defeated on the battlefield, during the BRICS summit in Kazan, where the Russian president is scheduled to discuss Ukraine with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He added that Westerners “do not hide their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on our country,” and “imaginary calculations that can only be made by those who do not know Russia's history and do not take into account its unity that has been formed over centuries.” The troops continued to advance against the Ukrainian army.
Under the eyes of Vladimir Putin and before their meeting, Antonio Guterres repeated to the participants his call for a “just peace” in Ukraine, “in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and General Assembly resolutions.”
“The Secretary-General said that we should all live as one big family,” the Russian President replied. “Unfortunately, there are often disagreements, scandals, property disputes, and sometimes there are fights.”
In unison with the BRICS leaders, Vladimir Putin also warned that “the entire Middle East [était] On the brink of all-out war.
His Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the establishment of a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and an end to “the spread of war in Lebanon,” where Israel has been engaged in a war for a month. An attack on the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
In front of António Guterres, who called for an “immediate” cessation of hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced the ineffectiveness of international institutions, especially the United Nations, in “extinguishing the fire” in the Middle East.
“stabilizing force”
Xi Jinping, whose country is Russia's main backer vis-à-vis Western countries, said the BRICS, a group of nine countries that represent nearly half the world's population and nearly a third of the planet's gross domestic product, could be a “stabilizing force for peace.” “.
The Middle East, especially Ukraine, will be on the agenda of the meeting scheduled for the evening, after the conclusion of the summit, between Vladimir Putin and Antonio Guterres, their first since April 2022. Moscow and Kiev have suspended all official negotiations and their positions. Seems irreconcilable as it is. The possibility of negotiations remains highly hypothetical at a time when the Kremlin welcomes the “positive dynamism” of its forces on the front.
The Kremlin said mediation offers from partner countries were welcomed “positively by the Russian president” in Kazan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Upon his arrival on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Modi, after ensuring that he was in contact with both parties, expressed his support for all “efforts to quickly restore peace and stability.”
China and India have never condemned – nor recognized – Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory.
“Bad choice”
Lula, the president of Brazil, another pillar of the BRICS, has drawn heavy criticism in Ukraine and the West for his emphasis on sharing responsibilities for the conflict, even as he condemned the Russian attack in February 2022.
Calls for peace and the opening of talks in Ukraine launched in Kazan are unlikely to meet the expectations of the European Union, which is urging the BRICS heads of state and government to encourage Vladimir Putin to “put an immediate end to the war.” “He is waging war against the Ukrainian people.”
By going to Kazan, Mr. Guterres made a “bad choice” that “can only harm the reputation of the United Nations,” Kiev lamented.
Through this BRICS meeting, Vladimir Putin aims to demonstrate the failure of the policy of sanctions and Western isolation of his country, especially among countries that belong to what is often described as the “Global South,” and to demonstrate his desire to suppress the so-called “Global South.” The West's “hegemony” in global diplomatic relations to promote the emergence of a “multipolar world.”
With four members (Brazil, Russia, India and China) when it was created in 2009 and joined by South Africa in 2010, the bloc now known as BRICS (these countries' initials in English) were joined this year by Ethiopia and Iran. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates).
Türkiye, a NATO member, requested to join the group in September. Its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Thursday that he was determined to continue “dialogue with the BRICS family.”
