Brics summit in Russia: bolstering the anti-West axis?

Guterres's actions run completely counter to his role, Tagblatt writes:

“In the UN Charter member states commit to preserving the territorial integrity of each country. The final document does not contain a call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. ... Even the highest representative of international law, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, allows himself to be led around by the nose at the round table of the 36 states comprising the Brics members and friends. .... Guterres presents his four key points: reforms to the financial system, climate change, AI and peace – 'in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan'. Putin smiles, and Guterres does nothing on this open stage to rebuke him for violating international law, thereby once again reducing international law to absurdity.”

Politiken welcomes the continued dialogue with Putin:

“The UN is the world forum where all nations – even hostile ones – can meet. ... As the UN's top official, Guterres epitomises this idea. One can argue back and forth whether it was wise for him to travel to Russia to talk to Putin and take part in his propaganda party. ... But that he needs to talk to the Russian leader is indisputable. That's his job, after all. And it doesn't mean he approves of Putin's war crimes or the invasion of Ukraine. Guterres has repeatedly and harshly criticised Russia.”

Diena sees a very good reason for Guterres' trip to Russia:

“One of the broad areas of discussion concerned international organisations – the UN, the IMF, the WTO, etc. There is a widespread conviction in the Global South that their influence in these bodies has long been out of balance with the economic and geopolitical clout of leading non-Western countries. ... There are two proposals: the creation of their own new structures or a targeted and coordinated push to significantly boost non-Western influence within existing organisations. The second option prevailed (and was included in the final declaration). This was also made possible by the efforts and diplomacy of the UN and its Secretary-General.”

La Vanguardia criticises Guterres:

“There is a striking contrast between the head of global diplomacy's aggressiveness towards Israel and his attentive behaviour towards Russia. ... The double standards of the leader of the United Nations are surprising. ... The photo with Putin does not help his cause. One of those affected was Volodymyr Zelensky, who was quick to criticise Guterres for not attending the peace summit he organised in Switzerland and then taking part in the event with Putin. In his view, the Russian president has succeeded in sending a message to the world that despite the West's intense efforts he is by no means isolated after the invasion. Putin probably feels that this is his strongest phase since he began the invasion.”

The Süddeutsche Zeitung strongly criticised Guterres's trip to Kazan even before it was confirmed:

“This venue brings together countries that wield power based on trade and raw materials and display a growing proclivity for authoritarian forms of government, a lack of transparency, illegal forms of manipulation and a high tolerance for war criminals of all stripes. ... The fact that the war-waging President Vladimir Putin is being courted despite his crimes under international law highlights which set of values prevails in the Brics alliance. If UN Secretary-General António Guterres were to attend the summit as he did in South Africa, that would mark a tipping point. The highest representative of international law attending the forum of the main violator of international law - the self-destruction of the United Nations' reputation would be complete.”

Hämeen Sanomat takes a different view of the UN Secretary-General's attendance:

“The Brics meeting brings together countries of interest for international security policy. Russia plays a key role in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Iran is involved in the Middle East crisis. China is exerting political pressure on Taiwan. So it is very worthwhile indeed for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to attend. It will give the leaders of the Brics states the opportunity to discuss and influence not only their economic aspirations, but also the stability of global security policy. Provided Russia doesn't use Guterres' presence for its own propaganda.”

The Kremlin has been unable to secure any real advantages from the Brics alliance over the past decade, The Insider explains:

“Brics has little to offer for Russia. Most countries support the Western sanctions to some degree. The Brics Bank, established in 2014 for infrastructure investment, refuses to consider new projects in Russia, citing the risks posed by those same sanctions. This is the selfsame Brics Bank that, according to statements by Russian officials, was supposed to offer an alternative to the IMF. Moscow is constantly trying to persuade individual Brics members to invest in the creation of independent payment systems, but so far only Iran has shown active interest in such projects.”

The idea of a separate Brics currency has gained little support among the member states so far, writes Telegraf:

“Only Russia is subject to sanctions. The banks of other countries don't want to be in the same boat as it. Any attempts to create a system that would circumvent the restrictions of the existing banking model would put these countries at immediate risk of being sanctioned. ... And all this just to facilitate trade with Russia? ... A new currency, a Swift replacement - these are things that would satisfy the needs of Moscow, Iran and North Korea, but not the Global South, where there are no problems with the international financial system.”

Jutarnji list focuses on the only Nato member attending the Kazan summit:

“Russia wants to exploit Brics to create a new world order in which Russia and China play the role of leaders of the 'countries of the Third World' and thus remove them as far as possible from the West's sphere of influence. ... Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is also attending the meeting, has not ruled out joining Brics. His decision is eagerly awaited in Moscow, where the accession of an influential Nato state would be seen as an important signal to the West, and even as a 'major blow to Nato'. The decision taken by Turkey, whose membership would be more important politically than economically for Russia and China, is therefore one of the key issues at the summit.”

Kazan gives Putin the perfect opportunity to enhance his image, writes Corriere della Sera:

“For the dictator from Moscow this will be a stage from which he can not only refute the Western narrative about his being isolated but also claim a leading role in an organisation that is striving to influence the new world order marked by increasing fragmentation. ... When the Brics came together in 2006, there was great scepticism as to whether they would be able to survive and influence the international balance given the heterogeneity of their members. Yet they have become an obligatory point of reference for the so-called Global South - the galaxy of countries that feel excluded from the traditional formats of global governance.”

The Brics group suffers from conflicting interests and a lacking coordination, Le Temps observes:

“On the face of it, this grouping appears to have the means to tip the organs of multilateralism in its favour. In reality, however, it is a heterogeneous farrago of countries that are primarily concerned with defending their own interests and are often in conflict with one another, while at the same time expressing their desire for more influence in shaping world events. ... The Brics countries see themselves as the counterpart to the G7, the club of the world's most powerful industrialised countries. But they are still far from having the coherence and determination of the G7.”

The summit is also relevant for the rest of the world, columnist Pierre Haski stresses on the website of radio station France Inter:

“What unites the Brics countries is their rejection of a world order that still gives too much pride of place to the West. But not all members of the club necessarily want to replace it with a Chinese order or have Putin as their protector or guardian of morality. However, the impossibility of reforming the world order and the strong perception that the West has double standards in the Middle East conflict are opening doors to the proponents of Brics, starting with China and its takeover bid for the 'Global South'. For these reasons, Westerners should not ignore the message from Kazan. Otherwise they risk waking up to a world that has escaped them.”

Turkey has become the first Nato country to apply for membership of Brics, a request which is expected to be approved at the organisation's summit in Kazan. In Yetkin Report, former diplomat Özden Sanberk wonders how the two can fit together:

“On the one hand we see Western alliances such as the EU, Nato and the Council of Europe, which focus on democracy and the individual, and on the other we see the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Brics, whose members are countries that focus on power and domination. So it remains a mystery for now how states belonging to these two groups of irreconcilable systems will be able to realise their demands for membership of each other's regional or global associations.”