BRICS news

Imagine you're Vladimir Putin.
The West has dubbed you a pariah for invading Ukraine. Sanctions are aiming to cut off your country's economy from global markets.
And there's an arrest warrant out for you from the International Criminal Court.
How can you show the pressure is not working? Try hosting a summit.

Putin claimed that "more than another 30 countries want to join Brics", but that "it was important to strike a balance in any expansion". In Kazan this week expect a lot of talk about Brics representing the "global majority".

And Putin hopes for ways to circumvent sanctions - apart from his moment of glory on the geopolitical stage.

Saudi Arabia rejects BRICS membership. The Kremlin announced back in January that Saudi Arabia had joined the BRICS from the beginning of 2024 along with the UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt and Iran. Two weeks later, the kingdom's Minister of Commerce, Majid al-Qasabi, denied these statements, the invitation to join the BRICS being still under consideration. Despite this, Saudi Arabia was included in the summit presentations as a full member, and the Kazan meeting, according to the Kremlin, was supposed to clarify the position of the Saudis. Now, the Kremlin admitted that Saudi Arabia has not become a member of the bloc, but is participating only as an invited state in the Outreach/BRICS Plus format, instead of the BRICS summit.

Putin faced calls to end Ukraine war at BRICS summit from some of his closest and most important "partners" Chinese President Xi Jinping told the summit there must be "no escalation of fighting" in Ukraine. Without referring to any specific conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a call for peace. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for avoiding escalation in both the Middle East and Ukraine. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian stayed more local, urging BRICS members to "use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon". And this despite that Putin used the meetings to tout "the very positive dynamics on the front for the Russian armed forces."

Kazan declaration
-on Ukraine: "We emphasize that all states should act consistently with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interrelation. We note with appreciation relevant proposals of mediation and good offices, aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy."

-on the middle East: "We reiterate our grave concern at the deterioration of the situation and humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and in West Bank as a result of the Israeli military offensive, which led to mass killing and injury of civilians, forced displacement and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure."

-on western sanctions: "We are deeply concerned about the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions, on the world economy, international trade, and the achievement of the sustainable development goals."

-on BRICS grain exchange:
"We welcome the initiative of the Russian side to establish a grain (commodities) trading platform within BRICS (the BRICS Grain Exchange) and to subsequently develop it including expanding it to other agricultural sectors."

@freerussia_report

P.S. Putin won't attend the G20 in Brazil - not because he's afraid to get detained, as he "has wonderful friendly relations with President Lula", and Putin "could bypass the ICC's arrest warrant very easily with a bilateral agreement to limit its jurisdiction, if need be", but "his presence would 'undermine' the important work there" Aha.