BRICS countries are not ready to unite with Putin against the West

The summit, which was planned by the Kremlin as an illustration of a strong “anti-American” alliance, became a meeting of fellow travelers with different goals

The BRICS summit began in Kazan, which was intended to show Russia’s global prestige. According to CNN , the summit has become the largest international event that the Russian Federation has organized since the start of its 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 of ​​turning BRICS into an anti-Western coalition that would shake the “world order” and the hegemony of the dollar did not meet with enthusiasm among the bloc’s key member countries.

India does not want 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 the further expansion of BRICS, which last year saw six new countries join and dozens more asked to join, including global pariahs such as Myanmar and 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 form an alliance as opposition to the West, as it values ​​good relations with the United States, a Bloomberg source said.

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 the Chinese economy. Zwelethu Jolobe, head of the Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town, said politicians do not want a military alliance with Russia, so if Russia, China and Iran promote an aggressive anti-Western approach, it could alienate other members of the alliance.

For the first time, the BRICS summit is being held in an expanded format; Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE have been added to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Meanwhile, the BRICS countries' ability to make joint decisions is limited due to contradictions between countries, says former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill. China and India “can never agree on anything,” he said, Egypt and Ethiopia have tense relations, and Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals.

"The idea that they would all come to fundamental agreement on something fundamentally important is just crazy," O'Neill said.

Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AP