The BRICS summit – steady steps toward a multipolar world?

This week, Russia hosted a special event called the BRICS Summit in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Prior to the summit, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova emphasized that the BRICS Summit would create a global sensation. I am not sure if it created a sensation, but there are some aspects worth analyzing to better understand the summit.

At the 16th BRICS Summit held in Russia, the Russian President hosted leaders from 36 countries. The BRICS Summit is the most comprehensive event held in the Russian Federation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. During the summit, Putin held nearly 20 bilateral meetings with representatives of various countries in just 3 days.

The summit in Kazan was the most attended summit in BRICS history. It took place with the participation of more than 30 countries that are non-Western and oppose the world's unipolar order. However, each of the countries showing interest in BRICS as an alternative to Western institutions is pursuing its own goals. BRICS rejects the old international relations model based on Western dictates. What unites these countries is resentment toward the world order imposed by the West. The goal of the alliance is to challenge the West's economic and political monopoly. The BRICS group holds discussions and sets priorities during the summit, which is hosted by members on a rotating basis once a year.

One of the things we hear more and more often from representatives of BRICS countries is that there is no distinction between "big" or "small" countries within BRICS and that no one interferes in the affairs of other countries! On January 1 of this year, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joined the "Big Five" BRICS (Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa), and subsequently, BRICS became the "Big Ten."

These countries propose a reform of global governance and the creation of an alternative platform for international payments that is not dollar-based and is resilient to Western sanctions. However, BRICS has not yet made any decisions regarding international trade rules. Although the use of a common currency is discussed, no clear steps have been taken on this matter yet. Only Putin symbolically introduced a BRICS banknote after the extended BRICS session.

WHY IS THIS SUMMIT IMPORTANT FOR RUSSIA?

The city of Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, where the majority of the population is Muslim, was not chosen by chance for the summit. It has symbolic importance for Russia. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, both the country and Russian President Putin have become isolated. A month after the invasion, Global North countries such as Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the US imposed a series of sanctions on Russian banks, oil refineries, and exports of military equipment. This summit proves that Russia is not an isolated country and that it has important partners, including India, China, and other developing nations.

When asked by foreign journalists about a possible ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, Putin said that Eastern Ukraine is now part of Russia and that he would not change the status of the four regions. Putin stated that Moscow wants its long-term security interests to be taken into account by Europe. Currently, Russia has the advantage on the battlefield. It is advancing slowly but steadily. It controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea. Russia controls about 80 percent of the Donbas, a coal and steel region that includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and more than 70 percent of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

BRICS IS GROWING

More and more countries, such as Thailand and Malaysia, want to join BRICS. For now, Turkey's position is not clear. If Turkey joins BRICS, it will be the first NATO country to join this structure. According to NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte, Turkey "has the sovereign right to join BRICS." Despite these statements, Western countries will of course be uncomfortable and this will lead to criticism. In general, we can understand that Western countries are uncomfortable with the expansion of BRICS. Currently, BRICS represents 45 percent of the world's population and 35 percent of the global economy.