Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 23, 2024, 01:15 PM
BRICS Summit 2024: The war between Russia and Ukraine is about to complete three years, and during this time Russian President Vladimir Putin is constantly facing sanctions and pressure from Western countries. US and European sanctions on Russia have increased economic and political pressure, but Putin has tried to turn his strength in a new direction while facing these challenges. In this direction, the BRICS summit has proved to be an important platform for him.BRICS 2023: Russia's show of power in KazanThe 16th summit of BRICS is being held in Kazan city of Russia, where leaders of more than 30 countries have gathered. On this platform, Putin has made his presence felt in front of the whole world, even through video conferencing. This conference is a message especially for those Western countries who are trying to isolate Russia from the global stage.Putin did not go to South Africa in the 15th BRICS summit last year because the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant against him. Despite this, Putin attended that summit through video conferencing. This time, Putin's attempt at the BRICS summit being held in his hometown Kazan is to not only present Russia as a strong global force despite Western sanctions, but also to forge a new alliance with developing countries.Alliance with the Global South and developing countriesPutin's conversation with the leaders of China, India, UAE, Iran and many other countries at this BRICS summit reflects Russia's strong ties with developing countries. For Russia, this platform is an opportunity where it is taking steps towards freeing developing countries from Western domination. The inclusion of countries like UAE, Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia in BRICS earlier this year was a sign in this direction, and many more countries are likely to join this summit as well.BRICS Summit: A clear message to Western countriesOrganizing the BRICS summit itself gives a very big political message. Putin has made it clear that Russia has not been weakened by the sanctions of Western countries. On the contrary, Russia is moving towards building a new economic and political alliance with developing countries. Putin's relations with big countries of the Global South like India and China are further strengthening this alliance.In particular, Russia's role in resolving the ongoing border dispute between India and China is being mentioned during this conference, which proves that Russia is also playing an active role in global diplomacy.BRICS: A new platform for PutinThis BRICS summit is like a gift for Putin. Through this platform, he wants to show that Russia can stand even without Western organizations like G7, and BRICS is an organization that is working towards a fair global order. This conference is giving the message that small and developing countries can also now play their role in the global decision-making process.Challenge to the dominance of the dollar: Proposal of BRICS currencyThe most important issue of the BRICS summit is the proposal of BRICS currency. Putin said on this occasion that an alternative payment system is needed to end the dominance of the US dollar and the euro, so that economic development can be kept free from politics.If the BRICS currency initiative succeeds in this summit, it will be a big success for Russia and a big setback for the US. This will make transactions between BRICS countries possible without the dollar, which will be a big step towards weakening Western financial dominance.Conclusion: Putin's new role from the BRICS summitEven after three years of the Ukraine war, Putin, facing pressure from Western countries, has made BRICS a platform from where he is giving the message to the world that Russia is not alone but is part of a strong alliance. Through the BRICS summit, Putin has built strong relations with the countries of the Global South and is moving towards a new structure in the global economy.