The BRICS summit has begun in Kazan, which was intended to showcase Russia's global prestige. As CNN writes, the summit became the largest international event organized by the Russian Federation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin is trying to promote the idea that it is the West that is isolated with its sanctions and alliances. However, Putin's idea to turn BRICS into an anti-Western coalition that would undermine the "world order" and the hegemony of the dollar did not meet with enthusiasm from key member countries of the bloc.
India is unwilling to allow BRICS to become an "anti-American" organization dominated by Russia and China, Indian officials familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. New Delhi opposes further expansion of BRICS, which last year saw the entry of 6 new countries and requests from dozens more, including global pariahs like Myanmar or Afghanistan. India's position is shared by Brazil and South Africa, officials from these countries told the agency.
The United Arab Emirates, which joined BRICS following the 2023 summit, "completely rejects" attempts to establish the alliance as opposition to the West, as they value good relations with the US, a source told Bloomberg.
Experts interviewed by The Washington Post believe that interest in the organization is not related to Russia; countries of the Global South are attracted by China's economy. Zwelithu Jolobe, head of the Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town, said that politicians do not need a military alliance with Russia, so if Russia, China, and Iran promote an aggressive anti-Western approach, it could alienate other members of the union.
The BRICS summit is being held in an expanded format for the first time, with Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE joining Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Meanwhile, the ability of BRICS countries to make joint decisions is limited due to contradictions between the countries, says former chief economist of Goldman Sachs Jim O'Neill. According to him, China and India "can never agree on anything," Egypt and Ethiopia are in tense relations, and Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals.
"The idea that they will all come to a fundamental agreement on something fundamentally important is just insane," O'Neill believes.
Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AP