Vladimir Putin
Credit: Reuters photo
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused the Western countries of 'unleashing a war' in Ukraine against the people living in Donbass region and said Russia's special military operation pursues the goal of ending that war.
President Putin, who is attending the 15th BRICS summit virtually as he could face possible arrest in terms of an International Criminal Court warrant if he lands in South Africa, also stressed that it was the wish of a number of Western countries to preserve their hegemony in the world that 'has led to the grave crisis in Ukraine.' 'Russia has decided to support the people who are fighting for their culture, for their traditions, for their language and for their future. Our actions in Ukraine have only one reason - to put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West and their satellites in Ukraine against the people living in Donbass,' Putin said while virtually addressing the annual summit of leaders of BRICS.
The BRICS bloc - comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.
Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend the summit. A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the Summit.
Putin recalled that 'first, with the help of the Western countries, an unconstitutional coup d'etat was carried out in that country, and then a war was unleashed against those people who did not agree with that coup,' the state-run Tass news agency reported.
'This brutal war, a war of extermination, had lasted for eight years,' Putin emphasised.
The US and European nations have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Putin said that the BRICS countries are against any hegemony and exclusiveness of countries, as well as the policy of neo-colonialism.
'Our quintet has rightly established itself in the global arena as an authoritative structure, whose influence in world affairs is strengthening steadily. The strategic course of this association extends well into the future and meets the aspirations of the main part of the international community — the world’s majority,” Putin said.
He stressed that the BRICS countries were acting in concert, on the principles of equality, partnership, support and due regard for each other’s interests to address “the most pressing issues” on the global and regional agendas.
'The main thing is that we are all unanimous in the striving for the emergence of a multipolar world order, a truly fair one and based on international law and compliance with the key principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign right and respect for the right of every nation to its own model of development,” Putin added.
Putin said that cultural and civilizational diversity is one of the supporting pillars of the new multipolar world order as it implies establishing an integral and free space for cultural exchanges, arts and creative activity.
He said Russia is ready to share with BRICS partners its accumulated experience and best practices, including in the field of digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence.
Putin said the BRICS grouping may convene its next summit in Kazan in October 2024, but the exact dates have yet to be coordinated through diplomatic channels.
He said there are plans for more than a dozen of Russian cities to host some 200 political, economic and social events.
'During our presidency, we intend to do everything possible to effectively implement all the decisions taken at the current summit, including those related to the expansion of the number of participants of the association,” he said.
Putin assured that the country will closely cooperate with partners, work on key international platforms, first of all, the UN, and continue the practice of regular meetings of top security officials.
'Of course, we will prioritize such acute issues as the fight against terrorism and the spread of terrorist ideology, as well as the fight against money laundering and the return of illegally frozen assets,” he enumerated.
He thanked the partners for their support in developing financial measures to combat money laundering. “We expect this shared commitment to be maintained in the future,” the Russian leader concluded.
Putin also said that Russia supports the increase of the role of BRICS countries in the international monetary and financial system and the expansion of using national currencies.
'Increasing the role of our states in the international monetary and financial system, developing bank-to-bank cooperation, expanding the use of national currency and deepening cooperation along the line of fiscal, tax and antitrust authorities are seen among them,' Putin noted.