Putin faced down call for peace at flagship BRICS summit

World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate the conflict in Ukraine.

The Russian leader sees the meeting as a sign that Western efforts to isolate Moscow have failed, but has faced direct calls from some of his closest and most important partners to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The gathering of about 20 world leaders in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum held in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Starting in 2009 with four members – Brazil, Russia, India and China – the BRICS has expanded to include other emerging countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.

In a joint statement, the group said it was “deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict and instability in the Middle East and the North African region.

“It also criticized Israeli attacks on UN personnel in southern Lebanon and urged that Lebanon’s “territorial integrity” be “preserved.”

At a plenary session earlier on Wednesday, leaders lined up to call for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS members to “use all their collective and individual capabilities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping Xi reiterated his call for a ceasefire, saying: “We must stop the killing and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.

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“And Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for avoiding escalation in both the Middle East and Ukraine.” As we face two wars that have the potential to become global, it is essential to strengthen our ability to work together towards common goals,” he said in an address to the summit via video conference.

Mediation offers

The European Union on Wednesday urged BRICS members to use a forum to pressure Putin to “immediately” halt his offensive against Ukraine.

In private bilateral talks, Putin welcomed offers from several BRICS leaders to mediate in Ukraine even as he told them his troops were advancing on the battlefield, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters that Putin had also used the meetings to tout “the very positive dynamics on the front for the Russian armed forces.”

Russian forces have been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine for most of 2024, although neither side has managed to make a decisive breakthrough.

Xi, a key ally of Putin, said at the summit that there should be “no escalation of fighting” in Ukraine.

“We must adhere to the three principles of ‘no battlefield spillover, no escalation of fighting and no adding fuel to the fire by relevant parties’ to alleviate the situation as quickly as possible,” Xi said.

Without referring to a specific conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for peace.

“We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war,” he said.

Brazil’s Lula said it was “crucial” to open peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

Multipolar order

Xi and Modi have previously touted their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, although there appeared to be little progress.

Putin has demanded Ukraine effectively capitulate by ceding more territory in the east and south as a condition for ceasefire talks.

Kiev has ruled out giving up land in exchange for peace and is currently occupying part of Russian territory after a brazen cross-border summer offensive.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also casts himself as a possible peacemaker, will hold talks with Putin later on Wednesday, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet the Kremlin leader a day later.

Moscow sees the BRICS platform as an alternative to Western-led international organizations such as the G7.

In his opening speech, Putin said the process of “forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process.”

Xi and Modi also used the summit to hold their first formal meeting in five years, days after the neighbors reached an agreement over their disputed border.

Xi said their “fundamental interests” are for the two sides to “strengthen communication and cooperation.”

The BRICS group also called for the Global South to have a greater role on the world stage and be more deeply integrated into international ‘decision-making’ platforms.