Guterres at BRICS summit: slap in the face to collective West

Only Russia itself and its satellites, such as Belarus, Syria, and North Korea, dared to vote against the UN General Assembly's resolutions on Ukraine. Today, the UN Secretary General has come to Russia... 

At the same time, Guterres was not present at the Peace Summit in Switzerland.

This situation highlights not only the discredit and immorality of the UN and its leader in their current amorphous form but also serves as a troubling signal for Ukrainian diplomacy. Ukraine has invested significant time and effort in engaging with countries of the Global South, yet none of these nations supported sanctions against Russia. Instead, we now observe these countries actively legitimizing the war criminal Putin.

The 16th BRICS Leaders' Summit has started today in Kazan and will last until October 24. The summit has brought together representatives of 36 countries, including 22 represented at the level of heads of state and government. In 2024, Russia holds the BRICS presidency. And, as we can see, it was able to attract not only Guterres, who is visiting Russia for the first time in recent years, but also the presidents of China and Turkey and the prime minister of India.

The summit is attended by states with developing economies. And this could have a direct negative impact on the war in Ukraine, as Russia is fighting for new markets and new supplies of dual-use goods for its military-industrial complex, which it can get through these countries. This is also a way to circumvent sanctions and weaken their impact on the Russian economy. All of this can fuel aggression and prolong the war...

Of course, this is a sensitive slap in the face to the collective West. And a signal to the United States that it should think about restoring global leadership. Because so far, the West's indecision has strengthened the axis of evil...

The BRICS countries are home to 45% of the world's population. The economy of the member countries exceeds 28.5 trillion U.S. dollars, which is approximately 28% of the world economy. Currently, the BRICS has 10 members; in 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joined the organization. It is clear that Russia and its partners are actively working to expand the BRICS.

Russia will come up with a number of strategic initiatives and its vision for the development of cooperation in this format. Bypassing sanctions, creating a single currency, launching a new payment system, duty-free trade, signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and concluding a strategic partnership agreement with Iran are among the issues on the Russian agenda for the summit.

Moscow, which has been subjected to extensive sanctions by Western countries over its invasion of Ukraine, is persuading the BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western restrictions.

Russia has also announced meetings with the UN on the Middle East and invited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

 In the Ukrainian peace plan presented by President Zelenskyy, there was very little about the economy and sanctions, which Ukraine needs to focus on as much as possible in its work with Western partners.  It is important for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to conduct a thorough analysis of the failure of the policy of isolating Russia and to talk about these risks with its allies. 

The “diplomacy of emotions” must return to professional diplomacy. Otherwise, peace summits will remain beautiful photos against the backdrop of the Swiss mountains. 

Source

About the author: Iryna Herashchenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, European Solidarity faction

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.