On the final day of the BRICS summit hosted in the Russian city of Kazan, President Vladimir Putin warned that efforts to defeat Russia on the battlefield are "illusory".
Moscow's adversaries "do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat," Putin told the summit. "I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia's history."
He described that the Ukraine conflict has essentially become a proxy war, as "Ukraine is being exploited to create critical threats to Russia’s security at the expense of its vital interests."
He also said the West is "ignoring... legitimate concerns and violating the rights of Russian-speaking individuals" - in reference especially to the Russian-speaking Donbass region in the East, which Moscow forces have been solidifying control over.
He also addressed the creation of a stable and fair Eurasian security order, through alliances like BRICS. "The idea is that by joining efforts, we can reliably guarantee genuine stability and create conditions for the peaceful development of all states and peoples on the continent," Putin stated.
Turning to the Gaza crisis, he stressed that though Russia stands against terrorism, the region is "on the brink of full-scale war." He argued that the establishment of an independent Palestine in some form is vital. "Addressing the historical injustice towards the Palestinian people could guarantee peace in the Middle East," Putin said.
The BRICS family photo has expanded from year to year, reflecting the admission of new members:
He hit upon the familiar them of multipolarity in world affairs, and condemned forces that seek to "dominate everything and everyone." Of the Western drive to control the world, he described in the Thursday address that "As a result, regional and global strategic stability is eroded, violating the principles of equal and indivisible security and triggering transnational and internal conflicts."
And on Washington's "big mistake" of 'weaponizing' the dollar, he said: "The dollar remains the most important instrument of world finance and using it as a means of achieving political goals undermines confidence in this currency and reduces its capabilities." He explained that Russia is not trying to drop the dollar, but is actually "prevented from working with it" - and so "Then we are forced to look for other alternatives, which is what is happening."
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro had some fiery words related to wars in the Middle East, and called out Israel.
China's President Xi Jinping in addressing the forum said BRICS could be a "stabilizing force for peace." On the Middle East, he said "We need to continue to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, relaunch the two-state solution and stop the spread of war in Lebanon."
Xi added: "There should be no more suffering and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon."
Xi and Putin shared a very lively private chat, and have been frequently seen together at the BRICS summit in Kazan
During the summit, the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine didn't got without criticism. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is later expected to meet one-on-one with President Putin, described that the full-scale invasion sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.
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