President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s war in Ukraine in a speech at the BRICS conference on Wednesday, praising the organisation as a check on American global power.
Putin uses BRICS summit to justify war: Via video link, he addressed the group’s leaders and restated the Kremlin’s position that his invasion, condemned by Ukraine and the West as an imperialistic territorial expansion, was Russia’s reactive response to hostile activities by Kyiv and Washington.
Putin referred to the eastern region of Ukraine where Russian proxies have been fighting the Ukrainian army since 2014, stating, “Our actions in Ukraine are dictated by only one thing – to end the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites against the people who live in the Donbas.”
“I want to emphasize that certain countries’ aspiration to uphold their global dominance caused the severe crisis in Ukraine,” stated the speaker.
Putin was addressing a gathering of nations that have not denounced Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Brazil, India, China, and South Africa are also members of the BRICS. For Moscow, the importance of the BRICS has increased as it tries to thwart Western sanctions by expanding trade with Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Russia has reaffirmed its willingness to engage in peace negotiations to end the 18-month conflict, but only provided they take into account the “new realities” brought about by its forces, which now hold control of about a fifth of Ukraine. Ukraine seeks both the withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of all of its land.
BRICS Nations’ Responses to Putin’s Speech and Implications for International Relations
In reaction to the Russian president’s speech, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who in June separately presented an African peace plan to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated that BRICS countries would continue to support efforts to end the conflict.
Russia’s goal of eroding American supremacy and establishing what Putin referred to as “a multipolar world order” includes strengthening the BRICS.
Because of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued in March charging him of war crimes in Ukraine, he was unable to attend the summit in person.
Because it is not a member of the ICC, Russia denounced the claim as preposterous and asserted that the action had no legal significance. But since South Africa is a member, it would have had to detain him if he had gone there.