This summit is a great communications operation for the Russian president, which proves that he does not lack allies on the international scene, despite the policy of isolation pursued by Western countries. In reality, the eight invited countries come together not in support of Vladimir Putin, but above all around a common ambition: a new international order which counterbalances “hegemony“Western.”The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway. A dynamic and irreversible process in my opinion“, the Russian leader declared on Wednesday.
At the end of these three days of meetings and declarations, what should we remember? The Free takes stock.
Brics Summit: before Putin, the UN Secretary General calls for a “just peace” in Ukraine
Against the hegemony of the dollar
An economic project was included in the summit’s programming: the creation of “BRICS Pay”, an alternative system of financial transactions, capable of competing with the current Swift system, which represents 50 million transactions per day and from which Russian banks have been excluded. following the total invasion of Ukraine.
The objective led by Vladimir Putin is to emancipate itself from the dollar, the currency “toxic“the most used in international transactions. BRICS Pay would thus offer users the option of using their local currency to carry out transactions. This would therefore also be a way to minimize”external political risks“, in other words, to more easily circumvent international sanctions (perceived as a tool of Western hegemony). But the idea is still only a project, for the moment. The IMF has said it wishes “more details” before assessing the impact on international trade.
Together, the Brics countries represent more than 37% of global GDP.
The war in Ukraine, a small point of contention
It’s necessary “avoid an escalation” in Ukraine, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared by videoconference. The Brazilian president participated remotely in the summit due to a “grave“domestic accident. For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated three principles: “no expansion of the battlefield“a Ukraine,”no escalation of fighting and no provocation from either party, in order to calm the situation as quickly as possible“.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for a rapid return to peace in Ukraine. “We believe that conflicts are intended to be resolved only peacefully. We fully support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability“, declared the Indian leader, who however refrained from condemning the invasion since 2022.
In response, the Kremlin leader said he welcomed “favorably“the offers of mediation for the conflict in Ukraine… while welcoming the advance of its troops on the front. He also judged”illusory” the prospect of a Russian defeat on the battlefield.
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Knock knock, there’s a NATO member
A surprising guest was also present: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who asked to join the Brics… even though his country is a member of NATO. A first. Observers believe, however, that Turkey is not going to turn its back on either the West or Ukraine. Indeed, since the total invasion of Ukraine, Ankara has managed to manage its relations with the two belligerents. Above all, it was a question of asserting Turkey’s strategic autonomy and its economic interest in collaborating with the Brics member countries.
Another guest sparked controversy: the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. The latter called for a “just peace“in Ukraine and the cessation”immediate“hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon. His participation went down badly with the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for whom Mr. Guterres had done so.”the wrong choice” by agreeing to go to Kazan. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian also urged “all members of the influential BRICS group to use all their collective and individual capabilities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon“.
India pacifies its relations with China
Precious friendships and good intentions
Moscow’s essential ally is Beijing. Vladimir Putin also declared to his counterpart Xi Jinping that he still wanted “to strenghten“the links with China, which are, according to him, a”stability factor“on the international stage.”The world is undergoing profound changes, unprecedented in a century. The international situation is chaotic […] But I firmly believe that the deep friendship between China and Russia from generation to generation will not change.“, indicated, for his part, the Chinese president.
On the South African side, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Russia as “precious friend“of his country. Faced with him, Vladimir Putin affirmed that the relations between their two countries”are based on the principles of comprehensive strategic partnership, equality and mutual respect“, specifying that their trade had increased by 3% between January and August this year.
For the rest, the Brics are committed to “to strenghten“their cooperation against climate change.”We will strengthen cooperation on a range of solutions and technologies aimed at reducing and capturing greenhouse gas emissions“, they said in a joint statement.
More than twenty countries have applied to join the Brics club.
