President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia once more blamed Western nations for the warfare in Ukraine in a wide-ranging speech through video link on Wednesday to the five-nation BRICS summit, maintaining his makes an attempt to rally the member nations to Moscow’s aspect.
Addressing fellow leaders of the group, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on the second day of the assembly, Mr. Putin mentioned Russia would assume chairmanship of the group subsequent yr and host a summit within the metropolis of Kazan in October 2024.
Moscow launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine virtually 18 months in the past, however the Kremlin has sought to painting the choice as a defensive transfer in opposition to a hostile Ukrainian authorities, and antagonism from the United States, Europe and NATO.
“Our actions in Ukraine are guided by only one thing — to put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West,” Mr. Putin added, in accordance to an English translation of the dwell video stream of his tackle offered by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, in a well-recognized chorus.
Mr. Putin is the one chief of a BRICS nation not to attend the summit in Johannesburg in person this week as a result of he’s wished for warfare crimes beneath a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. South Africa, which is a celebration to the treaty that created the court docket and would have been obliged to arrest him if he had traveled there, had asked him to keep away.
The summit has centered on whether or not to develop the membership and the way to be a counterweight to Western powers. The warfare in Ukraine, the prospect of a significant BRICS enlargement and heightened tensions between China and the United States have drawn uncommon attention to the assembly.
BRICS members have seen it because the kernel of a diplomatic and financial bloc to counterbalance Western-dominated alliances just like the Group of 7. Dozens of different nations have utilized for entry, and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt and Argentina are amongst these thought of to be on the prime of the record.
Source link
