President Vladimir Putin held a press conference and a Q&A session at the conclusion of the BRICS Summit in Kazan on Thursday. The Russian leader spoke on a wide range of issues beyond the scope of the summit itself, including the conflict with Ukraine, the prospects of mending ties with the US and the collective West, and the escalating situation in the Middle East.
Here are the key takeaways from the president’s remarks.
On BRICS summit
Putin lauded the Kazan summit as an important and successful international event, noting that it brought together 35 nations and six international organizations, which held assorted discussions in various formats.
“Such a broad representation clearly demonstrates the weight and role of BRICS, [and] the growing interest in interaction with us on the part of states that pursue a truly independent, sovereign policy,” Putin stated.
The summit yielded a joint statement, The Kazan BRICS Declaration, which the Russian leader described as a “comprehensive concept document with a positive agenda aimed into the future.”
“It is important that [the declaration] confirms the commitment of all our states to building a more democratic, inclusive and multipolar world order based on international law and the UN Charter, and upholds the joint determination to counter the practice of applying illegitimate sanctions and attempts to undermine traditional moral values.”
On Ukraine conflict
During the Q&A session, Putin was repeatedly asked about the continuing hostilities between Moscow and Kiev; namely about the BRICS stance on the conflict and potential ways of bringing it to an end.
“Everyone [in BRICS] is determined to end the conflict as quickly as possible and, preferably, by peaceful means. You know that China and Brazil put forward an initiative during the [UN General] Assembly in New York,” Putin stated.
The Russian military retains the initiative at the front, steadily advancing against Ukrainian forces, Putin said. He revealed that some 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been cut off from the rest of their forces in Russia’s Kursk Region, where Moscow is currently conducting an operation to eliminate them.
“The Russian army is acting confidently in all directions, this is also well known, no one denies it, it is moving forward in all areas of the front line,” he said.
On potential peace talks
Moscow remains open to any peace initiatives floated by any party, the Russian president said, revealing that a secret proposal to launch negotiations had been received through Turkish diplomats.
“I agreed, I said, ‘okay, we agree.’ The very next day, the head of the Kiev regime [Vladimir Zelensky] suddenly declared that they were not going to conduct any negotiations with us,” Putin said, adding that the Ukrainian leadership was clearly not ready for meaningful talks.
“The beginning of peace talks would lead to lifting martial law, and immediately after that it would be necessary to hold presidential elections. Apparently, they are not ready yet. The ball is in their court.”
Russia, on the contrary, is ready to negotiate and consider “any variants of peace agreements,” which must be based on the “situation on the ground,” according to Putin.
On ties with US
Moscow is not that interested in mending ties with the US, and it is up to Washington to try and make amends, Putin said. In any case, any potential changes in bilateral relations can happen only after the upcoming US presidential elections, he observed.
“How Russian-American relations will be built after the elections – this depends first of all on the US. If the US is open to normalizing relations with Russia, then we will do the same. If they don’t want to – there’s no need for it. But this is up to the next US administration.”
On situation in the Middle East
The escalation in the Middle East was among the most pressing topics discussed during the summit, with BRICS members believing the key to defusing the situation is the actual implementation of the UN resolutions related to Palestine.
“The main reason [for the conflict] is the absence of a full-fledged Palestinian state. It is necessary to implement all the resolutions of the Security Council in this regard,” the president stated.
Those who truly want to bring hostilities to an end and avoid a broader war in the region must work with all parties rather than taking sides, Putin insisted.
“We must work with all the sides, and not allow the conflict to escalate or worsen under any circumstances. In particular, we must work with Israel, which admittedly, did face a terrorist attack in October last year.”