BRICS summit: Xi, Putin, Modi, Bolsonaro to sit across screens, talk Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be hosting the BRICS summit on Thursday with other members of the economic alliances. These include Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is likely to get the spotlight at the meeting.

Most members of the bloc have done little to oppose Russia on the global front, a trend that has largely been followed by multiple western nations. No agenda has officially been set for the two-day meeting.

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China has not agreed to condemn any actions taken by Russia in Ukraine. Instead, it has actively criticised the series of sanctions that western countries have imposed on Moscow since February 24, when Ukraine was invaded.

South Africa came under scrutiny after its delegation to the United Nations decided to abstain from its vote to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India also abstained from the vote.

Moreover, New Delhi has bought large amounts of Russian oil at a heavy discount. This was heavily criticised by the United States, according to Associated Press reports.

China has sought to use the BRICS meetings to further its vision of an alliance to counter the United States-led liberal democratic world order while expanding its economic and political footprint.

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Along with Xi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are scheduled to join the two days of discussions, news agency AP reported.

In the opening session of the BRICS summit on Wednesday, Xi said: “The Ukraine crisis has again sounded the alarm for humanity. Countries will surely end up in security hardships if they place blind faith in their positions of strength, expand military alliances, and seek their own safety at the expense of others”, China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.