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Putin ends BRICS summit overshadowed by Ukraine war
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Russia’s Vladimir Putin claimed he was willing to forge better ties with the US “if they are open.” Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres faced criticism for traveling to Russia amid its war in Ukraine.
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World leaders at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia
World leaders including China’s Xi Jinping, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and India’s Narendra Modi were among attendeesImage: Maxim Shipenkov/AP/picture alliance
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was “open” to better relations with the US — if Washington was willing too — as he wrapped up the three-day BRICS summit in Kazan on Friday.
“How Russian-American relations will develop after the election will depend on the United States. If they are open, then we will also be open. And if they don’t want it, then fine,” Putin told reporters at a news conference.
Relations between Russia and the US have dipped to a low point following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last month, the US Justice Department brought charges against two employees of the Russian state media network, RT, for efforts to manipulate US public opinion ahead of November election.
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But despite the international isolation of Russia for its war in Ukraine, Russian leader Putin welcomed representatives of more than 36 countries to Kazan this week.
The annual BRICS summit saw a meeting of heads of state, like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The group is hoping to emerge as a strong alternative to the US-led economic order.
Putin praises Trump on Ukraine stance
At a press conference as the summit drew to a close on Thursday night, Putin was asked about US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s promise to end the fighting in Ukraine.
“What Mr Trump said recently, what I heard, [is] he spoke about the desire to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine,” Putin told reporters.
“It seems to me that he said it sincerely. We certainly welcome statements of this kind, no matter who makes them,” he added.
Trump had suggested last month that he could help broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine that could end the war in Ukraine. Trump has also voiced skepticism about US aid to Ukraine.
UN chief says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a ‘violation’ of UN charter
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres flew to Russia where he met Putin for the first time in more than two years.
He told Putin that a “just peace” in line with the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions is needed to end the war in Ukraine.
Antonio Guterres and Vladimir Putin shake hands at BRICS summitAntonio Guterres and Vladimir Putin shake hands at BRICS summit
Kyiv said Guterres was making a ‘wrong choice’ visiting RussiaImage: Alexander Nemenov/AFP
“The secretary-general reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations charter and international law,” the UN chief’s spokesperson said afterwards.
Guterres’ trip drew an angry reaction from Ukraine, with its Foreign Ministry calling it a “wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace.”
The meeting was also slammed by Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.
“It was the third year of the war, and the UN Secretary-General was shaking hands with a murderer,” she said on social media.
BRICS nations mull alternative financial system
Putin accused the West of trying to stifle the Global South with “illegal unilateral sanctions, blatant protectionism, manipulation of currency and stock markets, and relentless foreign influence ostensibly promoting democracy, human rights, and the climate change agenda.”
One major focus of the summit was therefore increased economic cooperation between BRICS members, including alternatives to Western-dominated financial systems.
“But we are not inventing any separate joint system for now,” Putin said. “What we already have is on the whole sufficient.”
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rm/zc (Reuters, AFP, AP)
