Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has stated that the Kremlin wants to see an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which he claims was “unleashed by the West and its satellites.”
Putin delivered the remarks on Wednesday during the maiden BRICS conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, which he virtually attended.
The summit began on Tuesday, as the loosely defined club of large developing countries sought to assert itself as a counterweight to the Western-led world system.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa make up a fourth of the global economy, and interest in joining the group has risen ahead of its three-day summit in Johannesburg.
Putin’s trip to Africa has been delayed by an outstanding International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest in connection with the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
The Russian president, who delivered a 17-minute pre-recorded speech to the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, accused the West of persecution against the people of Donbass.
“Our actions in Ukraine are dictated by only one thing – to stop the war unleashed by the West and their satellites against people living in Donbass,” he said
“It should be noted that many countries that wanted to preserve their hegemony, launched a difficult conflict in Ukraine. Russia decided to support those who fought for their language, culture and language, and to oppose those who threatened the life of people in Donbass.”
Fellow BRICS nations have abstained from condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
On the future of BRICS, he said “Our group of the five countries has rightly proved to be a credible entity in the global arena, with an ever-growing influence in global affairs. The strategic course of BRICS is aimed at the future .”
“The main thing is that we are all unanimous for the formation of a multipolar world order that is truly fair and based on international law while respecting the key principles of the UN Charter, including sovereign rights and respect for the right of each nation to its own development model.”
Putin took further swipes at the Western bloc, denouncing what he claimed were attempts to influence the political and economic affairs of other countries
“We are against any kind of hegemony that some countries promote because of their exclusivity and based on this postulate of a new policy – the policy of continuing neo-colonialism.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa had reiterated that arresting the Russian leader would amount to a declaration of war on Russia
“It would be inconsistent with our Constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia,” he said, adding that this would go against his duty to protect the country.
South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS group, a gathering of heavyweights that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China, which sees itself as a counter-balance to Western economic domination.