Prigozhin, Wagner Leader, Listed as Passenger on Plane in Deadly Crash: Live Updates
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia once more blamed Western international locations for the warfare in Ukraine in a wide-ranging speech by way of video link on Wednesday to the five-nation BRICS summit, maintaining his makes an attempt to rally the member international locations to Moscow’s facet.
Addressing fellow leaders of the group, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on the second day of the assembly, Mr. Putin stated Russia would assume chairmanship of the group subsequent 12 months and host a summit in the town of Kazan in October 2024.
Moscow launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly 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 keeping with an English translation of the stay video stream of his deal with supplied by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, in a well-known chorus.
Mr. Putin is the one chief of a BRICS nation to not attend the summit in Johannesburg in individual this week as a result of he’s needed for warfare crimes below 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 requested him to remain away.
The summit has targeted on whether or not to increase the membership and how you can be a counterweight to Western powers. The warfare in Ukraine, the prospect of a significant BRICS growth and heightened tensions between China and the United States have drawn uncommon consideration to the assembly.
BRICS members have seen it as the kernel of a diplomatic and financial bloc to counterbalance Western-dominated alliances just like the Group of 7. Dozens of different international locations have expressed curiosity in becoming a member of, and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt and Argentina are amongst these thought-about to be on the prime of the record.
For China’s prime chief, Xi Jinping, the summit has provided a possibility to solid himself as a pacesetter of the creating world. Beijing’s assist for Russia and its aggressive posture on points just like the standing of Taiwan, the self-governed island Beijing claims as its territory, have alienated it from international locations in North America, Europe and Asia.
In China’s escalating rivalry with the United States, Africa is an rising battleground for world affect. Beijing has invested billions in international locations which have lengthy been ignored by the West. The results of that outreach has been diplomatic assist in worldwide organizations just like the United Nations and entry to vital minerals wanted to energy rising industries, like electrical automobiles.
While not mentioning it by title, Mr. Xi took purpose on the United States on Tuesday, portray it as a bully and a risk to peace in a speech that was learn by China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, for undisclosed causes.
In his speech to the summit on Wednesday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil stated the warfare in Ukraine had uncovered “the limitations” of the U.N. Security Council and distracted from different crises deserving of worldwide consideration.
At the identical time, BRICS international locations had risen to the problem of in search of to deliver peace in Ukraine, Mr. Lula stated, singling out efforts by Brazil, China and South Africa. The three international locations have tried to keep up good relations with Russia regardless of the warfare.
