Vier Tage bis zur Eröffnung von BRICS – zwei Termine des russischen Präsidenten an einem Tag (2025)

Pressegespräch mit den führenden Vertretern der BRICS-Medien. Quelle: Kreml

BRICS als neues ökonomisches Schwergewicht

Naturgemäß befasste sich Wladimir Putin bei seiner Rede vor den Wirtschaftsvertretern mit ökonomischen Aspekten. Er verglich anhand von statistischen Daten die BRICS-Gruppe mit den G7-Staaten.

So hob er hervor: Das gemeinsame BIP der BRICS-Staaten beträgt mehr als 60 Billionen Dollar und übersteigt das BIP der G7-Länder. Der Abstand wächst weiter, da das Gesamtwachstum der BRICS für dieses Jahr auf vier Prozent geschätzt wird, was deutlich über dem Wachstum der G7 liegt.

BRICS repräsentiert 45 Prozent der Erdbevölkerung, die G7 hingegen knapp 10 Prozent. 33 Prozent der Erdoberfläche gehören zu BRICS, zur G7 dagegen 16 Prozent. BRICS erwirtschaftet 36 Prozent des BIP der Welt, die G7 inzwischen nur noch 29 Prozent. Bemerkenswert auch die folgende Zahl: BRICS steht für 39 Prozent der Industrieproduktion der Welt, im Vergleich dazu die G7 nur noch für 31 Prozent.

Der russische Präsident hob dabei hervor, dass sich das Wachstum der BRICS-Staaten vor allem speist aus führenden Positionen in vielen Einzelposten, die für die Gesamtentwicklung entscheidend sind. Konkret nannte Wladimir Putin folgende Zahlen:

BRICS erzeugt 44 Prozent der Weltweizenproduktion, die G7 lediglich 19 Prozent. Bei Reis lauten die Zahlen: BRICS 54 Prozent, 2,4 Prozent G7.

Bei der Erzeugung wichtiger Rohstoffe sehen die Zahlen so aus: BRICS produziert 74 Prozent des Aluminiums, die G7 fünf Prozent. Bei Palladium lauten die Werte: 77 zu 7 zugunsten von BRICS. Und noch eine wichtige Zahl: BRICS fördert 28 Prozent des Golds, die G7 nur 12 Prozent.

Wir werden morgen in einem separaten Beitrag alle Zahlen zu BRICS und dessen Potential mit weiteren Mitgliedern publizieren.

Worum geht es bei BRICS?

Beim nachfolgenden Treffen mit den Medienvertretern der BRICS ging der russische Präsident auf die politische Situation um BRICS ein.

Die Eingangsfrage nach Anzeichen für Veränderungen für und durch BRICS in der Welt, beantwortete Wladimir Putin so: Anzeichen für Veränderungen sind die Formierung neuer Zentren der Entwicklung, vor allem im Globalen Süden, in Südostasien und Afrika. Das sich daraus ergebende positive Wachstum zeigt sich in China, Indien, Russland, Saudi-Arabien, vor allem jedoch in Südostasien und Afrika. Dort auch bedingt durch den hohen Nachholebedarf sowie das hohe Bevölkerungswachstum. Diese Faktoren werden in der Folge zu wachsendem politischen Einfluss führen. Er verwies dabei auf die ökonomischen Fakten, die er vor dem Wirtschaftsforum BRICS dargelegt hatte.

Der russische Präsident legte Wert auf die Tatsache, dass BRICS sich nie gegen irgendjemanden stellte. Er erinnerte an die Worte des indischen Ministerpräsidenten Modi, dass BRICS nie antiwestlich war und ist, BRICS jedoch auch nicht westlich ist. Diese Vereinigung von Staaten arbeitet auf der Basis von gemeinsamen Ansichten und Werten und in diesem Sinne wird sie auch in Kasan arbeiten.

BRICS – ein Zusammenschluss auf Augenhöhe

Eine Bemerkung Wladimir Putins macht deutlich, wie ernst innerhalb der BRICS die Gleichberechtigung der Partner genommen wird.

„BRICS besteht heute aus zehn Ländern. Jedes dieser Länder ist für die Weltgemeinschaft und natürlich auch für eine Vereinigung wie die BRICS von Interesse und Wert. Jedes dieser Länder hat seine eigene Kultur, seine eigene Geschichte, seine eigenen Vorteile in der globalen Arbeitsteilung, und die Interaktion mit diesen Ländern ist für alle BRICS-Mitglieder von Interesse.“

Präsident Putin, 18. Oktober 2024

Und weiter an gleicher Stelle:

„Wenn neue Akteure auftauchen, wenn neue Teilnehmer auftauchen und sie Vollmitglieder einer internationalen Organisation sind, bringen sie natürlich etwas Eigenes mit. Einerseits ist es sehr wichtig, dass sie die Grundsätze berücksichtigen, nach denen BRICS gegründet wurde, und zwar von drei Ländern. Der erste Schritt wurde von Russland, Indien und China unternommen, wir haben es gemeinsam getan, wir haben das RIC [Russland – Indien – China] in St. Petersburg gegründet. Dann begann sich das Ganze auszuweiten. Aber auf der anderen Seite müssen alle Mitglieder der Organisation die Interessen der neuen Mitgliedsstaaten respektieren.“

Präsident Putin, 18. Oktober 2024

Der Westen erzwang die finanzielle Neuordnung der Welt

Viele erwarten auf dem BRICS-Gipfel entscheidende Beschlüsse zu der sich entwickelnden neuen Finanzordnung der Welt. Wladimir Putin ging darauf ein, worin die Ursachen dieser Entwicklung lagen:

„Was die Finanzen betrifft. Ja, nicht wir haben den Dollar als Universalwährung aufgegeben, sondern man hat uns seine Verwendung verweigert. Jetzt werden 95 Prozent des gesamten russischen Außenhandels mit unseren Partnern in nationalen Währungen abgewickelt. Verstehen Sie, sie haben es mit ihren eigenen Händen getan. Sie dachten, es [Russland] würde zusammenbrechen. Nein, nichts ist zusammengebrochen.

Unser Handel mit China wird zu 95 Prozent in Rubel und Yuan abgewickelt. Übrigens verwenden wir den Yuan auch im Zahlungsverkehr mit Drittländern, was zur Stärkung des Yuan als internationale Währungseinheit beiträgt. Es ist nicht so, dass China irgendjemandem schaden will, nein, es tut niemandem etwas Böses an, es ist einfach so, wie die Dinge sind, wie die Umstände sind.“

Präsident Putin, 18. Oktober 2024

Amerikanische Waffen in Asien und die Frage ukrainischer Atomwaffen

Bezug nehmend auf die schwierige internationale Situation betonte Wladimir Putin, die Stationierung amerikanischer Waffen in Asien führt zu einer Anheizung der Spannungen in der Welt und stellt eine Bedrohung der Russischen Föderation und Chinas dar. Wörtlich sagte er: „Sie [die USA] schaffen zusätzliche Spannungsherde, sie verlegen sehr ernstzunehmende Waffen, die die Länder der Region bedrohen, einschließlich China, und Russland».

Zur Situation um die Ukraine wiederholte der Präsident den bereits in der Vergangenheit zu verschiedenen Gelegenheiten vorgetragenen Standpunkt Russlands:

„Die politische Führung der heutigen Ukraine, das habe ich schon oft gesagt, noch bevor die Krise in die heiße Phase ging, hat schon damals, relativ milde formuliert, aber dennoch gesagt, dass die Ukraine Atomwaffen haben soll. Eine solche Drohung wird eine angemessene Reaktion der Russischen Föderation hervorrufen. Ich kann sagen: Russland wird dies unter keinen Umständen zulassen.»

Präsident Putin, 18. Oktober 2024

Fazit

Es ist nicht möglich, alle angeschnittenen Fragen beider Termine in einem kurzen Artikel anzureißen. Doch die Art, wie der russische Präsident auf die hier angesprochenen Themen eingeht, zeigt auf, wie sich BRICS in der Suche nach Lösungen von anderen internationalen Zusammenschlüssen unterscheidet.

Die gegenseitige Wertschätzung der Partner, der Respekt voreinander und der Wille, tatsächlich gemeinsame Lösungen zu kreieren, erschweren manche Entscheidungsfindungen und erfordern Geduld. Doch man darf vermuten, dass die dann gemeinsam erstrittenen Lösungen deutlich nachhaltiger wirken werden.

Wir sind gespannt darauf, was Kasan der Welt bringt und verweisen unsere Leser auf unsere Beiträge zu BRICS in den letzten Tagen: «BRICS soll in einem geopolitisch explosiven Umfeld scheitern – so der Plan der USA» und «Kasan – die Stadt des BRICS-Gipfels«.

In den nächsten zwei Tagen werden Artikel zu den Zahlen von BRICS und zu einem neuen Zahlungssystem folgen, bevor wir am Montag nach Kasan abreisen.
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Seniora.org dokumentiert hier die Pressekonferenz von Präsident Putin http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75349

Vladimir Putin answered questions from theheads ofleading BRICS media agencies. Themeeting was held ahead oftheBRICS summit inKazan.

October 18, 2024

17:50

Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region

Meeting with journalists from BRICS countries

Themeeting was attended bytheheads ofmedia agencies from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, andtheUAE. It was moderated byHead oftheRossiya Segodnya Media Group Dmitry Kiselev.

* * *

President ofRussia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, gentlemen, friends,

Iam very glad tosee you. Our group is expanding; we have made more friends within BRICS, andthere is significant interest inits activities. Both mycolleagues andIhave said this many times. Ofcourse, this interest is also growing thanks toyour work, support andcoverage ofwhat we do together with our colleagues andfriends, theheads ofBRICS countries.

Thesummit will begin soon. Ahead ofit, we will host thePresident oftheUnited Arab Emirates foravisit theday after tomorrow. We have aninformal dinner scheduled forSunday here, followed bythevisit onMonday. OnTuesday, we will commence our work inKazan.

We have avery busy agenda planned. Agreat deal has happened over theyear ofRussia’s BRICS chairmanship, which Ibelieve will be ofinterest toyou. Iwill be happy todiscuss this briefly. Please forgive me, but Iwill not go into detail, asit is impossible toretain all theinformation inmind atall times due tothediverse andcomprehensive nature ofour cooperation. We collaborate inall areas, andIthink you will be interested intalking with specialists oneach ofthem.

Ihope that you, your colleagues oryour teams will have theopportunity tospeak with professionals, including during thesummit inKazan.

Perhaps that is all Iwanted tosay atthebeginning. Iwill now give thefloor toyou, so asnot totake up more ofyour time. Iwill do mybest toanswer your questions asfully asIcan onevery aspect ofour conversation today.

Go ahead, please.

Dmitry Kiselev: Mr President, we are very grateful toyou forfinding thetime inyour insanely intense schedule tomeet with us.

This intensity is evidenced bythefact that infour days inKazan, you will not only take part inthesummit andhave abig news conference, but also hold over two dozen bilateral meetings. You are absolutely right that it is difficult towrap one’s mind around it.

Vladimir Putin: Seventeen.

Dmitry Kiselev: Seventeen, right– about two dozen bilateral meetings.

Themeeting we are holding now is crucial not just tous personally, but totheentire planet, because themedia represented here have atotal audience ofseveral billion people. We will get across your answers toour questions toour viewers, listeners, andreaders.

Iwould like toask thefirst question. Perhaps it will be somewhat general. Theworld is changing so rapidly that sometimes we cannot keep track ofhow different is has become. What are thesigns ofthese changes andwhat opportunities do they open forBRICS?

Vladimir Putin: Themost important sign is theemergence ofnew development centres. This is themost important sign. According toexperts, whom Itrust andwhose opinions Iheed, this development will be focused primarily inBRICS countries. This is theGlobal South, Southeast Asia andAfrica.

Powerhouses like China andIndia will record positive growth. Positive growth will also be inRussia andSaudi Arabia. But countries ofSoutheast Asia andAfrica will demonstrate outstripping growth rates, andforseveral reasons.

First, thedevelopment level inthose countries, where positive but limited dynamics is expected, indicates that those countries have already reached acertain level ofdevelopment. Second, those countries that Ihave mentioned, that will have outstripping growth rate, still have aninsufficient level ofurbanisation andahigh rate ofpopulation growth. Without doubt, these two factors will influence theformation ofnew centres ofeconomic growth tobe followed byenhancing political influence.

Regarding BRICS countries like China, India, Brazil andSouth Africa, it is evident that their expanding economic potential will lead totheir bigger global influence. This is anundeniable fact andit simply reflects objective reality.

Asmycolleagues, partners andfriends have often noted, BRICS represents 45 percent oftheworld’s population, covers 33 percent oftheEarth’s land area, andhas acontinuous growth intrade andglobal commerce.

Irecently spoke with theBRICS Business Council andentrepreneurs from our nations, sharing thefigures Ihave previously mentioned. When comparing 1992 to2023, thecombined growth oftheBRICS countries’ share intheglobal GDP has doubled, while thegrowth oftheG7 countries has slowed down. Bythis measure, theBRICS nations have already surpassed theG7. Moreover, it is evident that by2028, this trend will continue, with thegap favouring theBRICS countries only widening. This is aclear andundeniable fact.

Incertain sectors, humanity’s existence is impossible without theBRICS countries, particularly infood andenergy markets andso on. However, inhigh-tech fields, especially inthedevelopment andapplication ofartificial intelligence, we are not only acquiring competencies but also emerging asleaders incertain areas. This represents asignificant shift, one ofthemost important andnoticeable changes intoday’s world.

This is anatural occurrence, andthere is nothing wrong with it. Theworld is always evolving, andnew leaders continuously emerge. We should accept this calmly asareality andfocus onbuilding our relationships with one another accordingly.

What sets BRICS apart from many other international organisations? BRICS was never meant tobe created inopposition toanyone. ThePrime Minister ofIndia put it best. He said BRICS is not ananti-Western alliance; it is simply non-Western. This distinction is very important andhas great meaning. That is, BRICS does not set itself inopposition toanyone. It is agroup ofcountries that work together, guided byshared values, acommon vision fordevelopment, and, most importantly, bytheconsideration ofeach other’s interests. This is thefoundation onwhich we will be working inKazan.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you, Mr President.

It is true that BRICS countries make up 45 percent oftheplanet’s population, but even if BRCIS does not make theglobal majority, then it definitely represents it, because many countries that are not part ofBRICS wish this group success andshare its values.

Iam very happy topresent Mr Fan Yun, mycolleague from China, who is theeditor-in-chief atCGTN anddeputy editor-in-chief ofChina Media Group, deputy ofMr Shen Haixiong. We are giving him thefloor first inview ofyour personal relationship with President Xi Jinping andspecial relations between Russia andChina. Afterwards, we will move clockwise.

Please, Mr Fan Yun.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief ofChina Media Group, CGTN Director andEditor-in-Chief Fan Yun (retranslated): Mr President,

Iam very glad torepresent Chinese media atthis meeting.

TheBRICS summit inKazan is thefirst one after thegroup’s expansion, so we are paying special attention toit. How do you think BRICS countries’ growing role andBRICS expansion will help promote its influence?

You have already mentioned that thegroup overall accounts forover 33 percent oftheglobal GDP. What contribution will this make tothedevelopment oftheentire world?

Vladimir Putin: Now BRICS includes ten countries. Each ofthem is ofinterest andvalue totheworld community and, ofcourse, tosuch group asBRICS. Each ofthese countries has its unique culture, its unique history, its own advantages intheglobal division oflabour, andinteraction with these countries is ofinterest toall BRICS participants.

Ofcourse, when new players, new participants– full-fledged participants– appear andjoin any international organisation, they make their own contribution. Andhere it is very important forthem torespect theprinciples onwhich BRICS was created, andit was created bythree countries. Thefirst step was made byRussia, India, andChina, we did it together. Atthat time we created RIC inSt Petersburg, Russia, India, andChina. Later, it started toexpand. Ontheother hand, however, all countries inthegroup should also respect thenew participants’ interests.

This year, we have done everything within Russia’s capacity tosmoothly andgradually integrate all our new members into thegroup’s activities. Infact, we have 250 events planned across various sectors, with 200 ofthem already completed.

Thedecision toaccept new countries was no coincidence. These are countries andpeople we know well, with whom we have collaborated invarious fields over along period. Now that we are working together within asingle group, we have created platforms forexchanging ideas andexploring potential joint projects across arange ofsectors. While economic cooperation is our primary focus, we are also placing significant emphasis ondeveloping people-to-people andhumanitarian ties insuch areas asculture, cinema, youth exchanges, andmore.

We have been working hard onthese tracks throughout theyear, andtheresults show we are ontheright path. It is clear that expanding thegroup was apositive andright decision. Iam fully convinced that this will undoubtedly boost our influence andauthority ontheglobal stage, something we are already witnessing.

You know that each new country brings its close allies along invarious areas. When acountry joins thegroup, its partner nations naturally take aninterest inwhat is happening andoften express adesire tocollaborate aswell.

AsIhave mentioned many times before, around 30 countries have expressed interest incooperating with BRICS insome form orparticipating inits activities. This is aclear andvisible impact ofour recent expansion. Infact, another wave ofinterest is already building ontheheels ofthis one. However, we need tocarefully consider, alongside all BRICS countries, how best toapproach further expansion.

One thing is certain: we will not turn anyone away. Thedoors are wide open. Thequestion now is how tostructure this process, andmycolleagues andI, along with our friends, will discuss all these matters when we meet inKazan.

Dmitry Kiselev: Andhere you have thevoice oftheglobal majority.

I’m pleased topass thefloor tomycolleague from Sky News Arabia. Nadim Koteich, one ofthemost renowned journalists intheArab world, theauthor andhost oftheweekly show Tonight with Nadim. So, we are true colleagues inthat sense.

Nadim, please go ahead with your question.

General Manager ofSky News Arabia (UAE) Nadim Koteich (retranslated): Mr President, thank you so much fortheopportunity tomeet with you. We are thrilled tohave you with us.

Irepresent Sky News Arabia, andbefore Ibegin, Iwant toacknowledge theexcellent work your team has done inorganising this meeting. We truly appreciate thechance tohave anopen conversation with you, even though we don’t speak Russian.

Iwant toclarify that we didn’t discuss specific topics beforehand, andIwant everyone tounderstand andbe aware ofthis. We value this transparency.

Mr President, you have mentioned many times that theworld order needs reshaping, which is undoubtedly achallenging task. We recognise thesignificant influence that China andtheUnited States have inthis process. How does Russia perceive its role inthis reshaping? Does Russia, inany way, feel like ajunior partner inlight oftheongoing dynamics between China andtheUnited States?

Vladimir Putin: It is true that we have aunique relationship with China, built onadeep level oftrust. Our trade andeconomic ties are expanding rapidly. According toour data, trade turnover is between US$226 andUS$228 billion, while Chinese statistics estimate it ataround US$240 billion. These figures speak forthemselves.

Ihave mentioned this many times before, yet Iwould like tostress again, that Russian-Chinese cooperation ontheglobal stage is undoubtedly one ofthekey pillars ofstrategic stability worldwide. This is afact that Ibelieve is clear toeveryone andis widely acknowledged.

Our relationship with thePeople’s Republic ofChina is based onequality andmutual respect foreach other’s interests. This is not just anempty phrase, it reflects thereality ofour cooperation. We genuinely listen toone another. Some five toseven years ago, theChinese leadership, atboth thegovernment andtop political levels, andI, along with myfriend, President Xi Jinping, often discussed theneed toimprove thetrade balance. We talked about finding ways toincrease thepresence ofRussian products, both industrial andagricultural, onChina’s market. Similarly, China had its own requests, particularly intheareas ofenergy, space cooperation, andother sectors.

We are actively addressing these issues andtruly hear each other. If you examine thecurrent trade balance structure, you will find answers toall these questions. Our focus is not just ondiscussions; we take action. There are no hierarchies between us, we collaborate based onmutual interests, andthat approach is effective. That is thefirst point.

Now, regarding therelations between China andtheUnited States. We do not interfere inthese issues, just like we do not interfere inrelations (we have colleagues here who will instantly figure out what Iam referring to) between Ethiopia and, let’s say, Egypt. Do you understand what Iam talking about? We do not interfere, do you see it? If there are any issues arising andif aminute thing depends onus, we are ready tooffer our services inresolving these issues, if they arise andtheparticipants inthecorresponding process are interested inany involvement from our side.

Theworld’s biggest economy interms ofpurchasing power parity rather than per capita is China. This is all statistics, you see? TheUnited States ofAmerica is second. But, interms ofper capita values, theUS economy is much bigger. Just look atthepopulation: 1.5 billion or1.3 billion inChina against thepopulation oftheUnited States. Theeconomy volume increased.

TheUnited States holds thesecond place, India is third, and, incidentally speaking, theRussian Federation is fourth, we managed toovertake Japan alittle bit. China is our number one trade andeconomic partner. Russia’s share is growing, andcurrently Russia’s share is thefourth inChina’s trade turnover, this matters toeveryone.

We very carefully measure our every step. Chinese partners are happy topurchase Russian energy resources. Russia is themost reliable source. We have acommon border which is not prone toany fluctuations interms ofworld politics. Bytheway, there is no need totransfer anything across borders, over seas oroceans: theentire border is common, period, andenergy resources inRussia are infinite.

If you look attherelations between China andtheUnited States, you know, Ithink theUnited States needs tostart thinking. It ruined relations with Russia, constantly impose sanctions andthis, eventually, negatively affects theUS andtheUS dollar. Thewhole world started contemplating whether US dollars should be used since theUnited States, forpolitical reasons, restricts theuse oftheUS dollar asauniversal international payment unit. Everyone started considering this, andthevolume ofUS dollar use is slowly, insmall increments dropping both insettlements andcurrency reserves. Even traditional allies oftheUnited States are reducing their US dollar reserves.

Andwhat is happening toChina? It faces one sanction after another. This is not purely political; it is about thegrowth oftheChinese economy andattempts tohinder that growth through various politically motivated sanctions.

Here’s what Iwould like tonote. TheUnited States is 15 years too late, they cannot stop China’s progress. It is impossible, just asit is impossible totell thesun not torise. It will rise anyway. These are objective processes ofeconomic development, with amillion related factors. This effort tocontain China’s development negatively affects theUS economy aswell. It renders theproduction ofsome oftheir goods uncompetitive, andif this trend persists, it could render certain sectors oftheir economy totally uncompetitive.

This illustrates how theeconomies ofChina andtheUnited States have become interconnected over thepast few decades, afact that everyone admits. However, theactions we are witnessing today from theUnited States appear tobe counterproductive, Ibelieve.

This is also related tosecurity policy, particularly theongoing provocations surrounding Taiwan. Ioften find myself questioning themotives behind these provocative actions invarious regions oftheworld. Why are they happening? Itruly do not understand. Infact, NATO is drawing European nations into Asia through itself. No one seems toconsider whether Europeans want tojeopardise their relationship with China bygetting involved inAsian affairs through NATO, creating asituation that raises concerns among regional countries, including China. Ican assure you that they do not want this. Yet, they are being pulled into this, like small dogs onaleash pulled byabig fellow. Their allies— Japan, Australia, andNew Zealand— are nudged into action, tension is growing asserious weaponry is deployed which poses threats tothecountries intheregion, including China andRussia.

We are closely monitoring this situation. Naturally, we do not interfere, just like inother issues, such asthose between Ethiopia andEgypt. However, we firmly consider China tobe our strategic partner andally.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you.

Theadvantage ofBRICS is that there are no seniors orjuniors init, andnobody interferes inother countries’ affairs. It is really avery important stance andanimportant sentiment inside thegroup.

Mr President, Iwould like tointroduce Faisal Abbas, world-famous columnist oninternational politics, international Arab politics, who represents theArab News newspaper.

Please, go ahead, Faisal.

Editor-in-Chief ofArab News (Saudi Arabia) Faisal Abbas (retranslated): Your Excellency, Mr President,

Let me thank you fortheopportunity totalk toyou about various problems ontheinternational arena which matter alot.

Here is myquestion. Asyou know, Saudi Arabia has been invited toBRICS, andtheForeign Minister will attend thesummit inKazan. Asyou know, Mr President, theCrown Prince has been busy with settling issues intheMiddle East andresolving thetwo-state problem inPalestine since last October. Moscow has always supported this solution, atwo-state solution.

Will theUN Secretary-General attend theBRICS summit? What results can we expect tomake it possible toput pressure andstop thebloodshed that is going onintheMiddle East, considering that all theBRICS countries agree ontheneed toimplement atwo-state solution tothePalestinian problem?

Dmitry Kiselev: Faisal Abbas represents Saudi Arabia.

Vladimir Putin: Iunderstand.

When you were speaking about ceasefire right now, did you mean theGaza Strip? Did Ihear that right?

Faisal Abbas: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Our position onthis is known well. Ican hardly add anything new. We have always proceeded from thefact that theSecurity Council resolution onthecreation oftwo states– Israel andtheState ofPalestine– must be implemented. This is theroot ofall theproblems, andIam sure that we will have totalk about this attheBRICS summit. Iinvited thePresident ofPalestine tojoin our events, andthere will be anopportunity tolisten tohis assessments.

You know, Ihave had alot ofconversations onthis subject with theIsraeli leadership, theSaudi Arabian leadership andthePalestinian leadership. Ibelieve it is impossible, just like Itold our partners inIsrael, toresolve thePalestinian issue based exclusively oneconomy-related issues. Iknow that theIsraeli leadership– both its current andformer leaders– believe it is enough tosatisfy some fundamental, basic interests ofPalestinians living onthese territories, andtheissue will be closed.

It seems tome that apart from some material issues, there are issues connected with aspiritual sphere, history, aspirations ofpeoples living onspecific territories. Theissue is deeper andmore complicated, andwork needs tobe done inthis sphere. This is first.

Second. Thework definitely needs tobe done within abroad consensus. Ido not want toblame theUnited States foreverything but it should not have destroyed the[Middle East] Quartet. Ireally do not want topoint afinger atit all thetime andrepeat that they are guilty ofall woes. This is probably not so. But they should not have destroyed theQuartet, it worked, it was easier toagree onall positions. But theUS monopolised thework, took all theresponsibility andeventually failed.

Ibelieve we need toget back toit. Maybe expand theQuartet, talk about recovering theterritories andbringing back thepeople who fled them. ThePalestinians will not leave thearea, it is their land, this needs tobe understood. This is first.

Second. Thebigger thehumanitarian issue is themore there will be ofthose willing toassert their interests. Incidentally, many people inIsrael understand this, too, andshare thepoint ofview Iam expressing.

Ihave been inaposition toobtain information from people inIsrael who hold this view. We are intouch with both Israel andPalestine, ofcourse. We have had atraditional position since theSoviet Union, which states, let me reiterate this, that themain way toresolve thePalestinian issue is tocreate afull-fledged Palestinian state.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you very much.

Chairman oftheSekunjalo Investment Holdings Iqbal Survé is one ofthemost influential African leaders. His group ofcompanies includes Independent Media andtheAfrican News Agency.

Dr Iqbal Survé worked with President Mandela andis afirm advocate ofBRICS.

Please, go ahead, Iqbal, South Africa.

Executive Chairman ofIndependent Media Holding (RSA) Iqbal Survé: Your Excellency, Mr President,

Firstly, congratulations onthesummit. Andit is really apleasure andhonour that we are here today.

Mr President, you are one ofthepioneers ofBRICS. Asyou have quite correctly said, you have been there from theinception, andyou have also seen thedevelopment ofBRICS from theinitial RIC toBRICS toinclude South Africa andnow theadditional countries.

Mr President, Ihave had thepleasure ofbeing theChairman oftheBRICS Business Council andalso theprivilege ofhaving met you previously during those engagements. Iam astrong advocate forBRICS myself, but Iget thesense that we have moved too slowly. Iget thesense that, inaway, we may miss thevaluable opportunity toensure that theBRICS grouping becomes thepreeminent grouping intheworld. BRICS is very critical atthis juncture interms ofwhere we find ourselves inworld history. It is very important fortheGlobal South, orforwhat Mr Kiselev has said is theGlobal Majority, andIthink Russia has avery important role toplay and, inparticular, yourself, Mr President.

Myquestion is very specifically toyou. How can you andRussia hosting BIRCS accelerate themechanisms forBRICS toplay afar more important role: one, economically; two, inpayment systems; andthree, which Ithink is important, politically aswell.

Thank you, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Asforthepolitical order, your Egyptian colleague [has asked about this], Isidestepped it but since you revisited it, so Iwill get back tothefirst part ofhis question, too. He said that I, orwe, are declaring andstriving tochange theworld order. We are not, infact. It is happening naturally. We are simply saying that this is aninevitable process, andwe must respond toit accordingly.

These new emerging centres ofpower are not emerging because theWestern countries brought upon us theUkrainian crisis, andall ofthis came tothecurrent state. Let me remind you once again: back in2014, theWestern countries led bytheUS organised, oratleast supported, acoup d’etat. This is what sparked thecrisis. Then, NATO has been pushed into it formany years. This is how thecrisis began. Andthewar began in2014, too, because they launched armed actions involving armed forces against people who didn’t accept thecoup. So thewar broke out in2014.

However, changes intheworld started even earlier, andonalarger scale. This is what we call theemergence ofamultipolar world. We just proceed from thefact that this is happening, andwe are trying tofacilitate this process inaway that would not lead todestruction, but, onthecontrary, let things take shape inanew expanding format.

You say that we should act more decisively, but how? We believe, any rush would be inappropriate. We are proceeding incrementally, step bystep.

Asforfinance, say, we did not decide tostop using theUS dollar asuniversal currency, we were denied using it. Now, 95 percent ofRussia’s foreign trade with its partners is being carried out innational currencies. You see, they did it themselves. So be it. They thought everything would collapse. No, it did not. Trade is developing onanew foundation.

Ninety-five percent ofour trade with China is inruble andyuan. We also use theyuan insettlements with third countries, which helps strengthen theyuan asaninternational currency. It is not because China wants toharm anyone, no; it does nothing bad toanyone, but it is theway it is.

This is thefirst point: settlements innational currencies.

We have established theBank headed byMs Rousseff. Alot ofwork needs tobe done there: we need towork onthecapital, increase it, Iwill not list everything. We met with Ms Rousseff several times, she is agood specialist, she understands everything. We need todiscuss how tocreate acorresponding insurance platform, areserve currency pool. All ofthese needs tobe steadily strengthened tomake them real working tools rather than declarations. This is happening.

We would like topropose some really serious things toour colleagues– Iwill not go into details atthis point. There is aserious issue ofusing digital currencies ininvestment processes, andnot only inBRICS countries but byBRICS countries intheinterests ofother developing economies which have good development prospects, what Ihave already mentioned.

We can actually create such atool which will practically be non-inflationary, it will be controlled bycorresponding BRICS institutions. This might be another very interesting, good step inthedevelopment oftheGlobal South with our direct active participation. We will talk about this now. Well, not now, Iwill discuss this with mycolleagues.

We are holding consultations with Chinese friends andIndian friends, have had consultations with Brazilians recently, andwe will definitely have atalk with South Africa. We will be doing this with everyone, just like we are doing now. We are moving, gradually.

But Ibelieve this is not enough. We need tobring people closer together towork efficiently intheeconomy. All ofour so-called traditional values oftheChinese culture, Christian culture, Islamic culture are, infact, thesame if read andtranslated from one language into another. They are very close orfully coincide, asdiplomats say.

People need torealise andunderstand this. There are no enemies, only friends andlike-minded people. Andthis is why we are developing acorresponding programme regarding museums andtheatres. This year Russia initiated thecreation ofasingle platform even infolk dance art, aswell asincinematography, theatre, andexhibition activity. All ofthis creates– must create and, Iam sure, will create– acolossal, solid base tobring people closer together.

We constantly hold respective themed years with colleagues: theYear ofCulture, theYear ofYouth Exchanges, theYear ofTheatre andso onandso forth. This also draws people closer, creates numerous contacts, increases opportunities. Most importantly, it increases trust ineach other. It increases trust andthis is anecessary basis forcooperation intheeconomy andensuring security.

This is why we will not rush, but we will move, move asfast aswe can. We cannot set off this tempo, Ialso agree with it, you are right.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you.

Infact, it is about forming acommon cultural BRICS market that would also promote cooperation ineconomic security.

Next is our Indian guest, Mr President. This is aninfluential news agency, PTI. Sudhakar Nair has been with PTI for45 years, rising from acorrespondent toanexecutive editor, he worked inGermany andintheprime minister’s pool.

Please, go ahead, Sudhakar.

Executive Editor ofPTI (India) Sudhakar Nair: Thank you, Mr President.

This is mysixth visit toMoscow aspart ofthecoverage ofleaders ofIndia andRussia foraperiod oftime.

So, myquestion relates toapoint where you made apassing reference onthequestion ofBRICS countries cooperating together inproducing films. Asyou know, India has avery vibrant film industry. People of30 years back, 40 years back, still remember some oftheIndian films andsongs.

Will Russia give anopportunity tofilm producers from theBRICS countries toopen their place andgive some incentives forfilm shooting?

Vladimir Putin: You know, if we take BRICS countries, then perhaps Indian films are aspopular inRussia asnowhere else, inno other BRICS country. Ithink there is even aspecial television channel that shows Indian films day andnight. So, Russia is very interested intheIndian cinema. This myfirst point.

Second, atMoscow film festivals… Yes, we hold BRICS film festivals. This year, films from almost all BRICS countries have been presented attheMoscow Film Festival. Ithink thewinner was afilm bySaudi Arabian andEgyptian directors. There also was athird country, but Idon’t remember, Ithink it was Jordan. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, andJordan. Afilm shot bydirectors from these three countries was thewinner.

Asfortheeconomic aspect, cinema products are products like everything else. It is apart ofthemarket that must be regulated accordingly. India has adopted anumber ofdecisions toprotect its domestic market, not just interms ofcinema, but also forautomobiles andother areas. But Ibelieve that if our Indian friends are interested inthis, then we will undoubtedly find acommon ground topromote Indian film products ontheRussian market.

Ican say that this product is inhigh demand onthemarket inthebroad sense oftheword, atleast inRussia. Ithink it will be agood business, like Indian pharmaceutics. Iwill be ready todiscuss this with our friend, Prime Minister ofIndia [Narendra Modi], when he arrives inKazan, if he raises theissue. We are confident we will find acommon ground. That’s forsure. Isee no problems here.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you, Mr President.

Ofcourse, we would like tosee not only Indian films, but films starring actors from BRICS countries who represent their diverse cultures.

Vladimir Putin: Raj Kapoor.

(Laughter.)

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes, but let there be anIndian, aChinese, anEthiopian, andso on.

Vladimir Putin: You know, Italked with mycolleagues, leaders oftheBRICS countries, about organising festivals oftheatrical art, andit is currently being held. Ithink we have created ajoint academy ofcinematography. We will definitely continue onthis path.

We discussed theneed tocreate apop music festival andso on. There is alot work tobe done here. This work is very interesting. Ofcourse, journalists will also be interested incovering this work andtaking part init.

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes.

IntheSoviet Union, there were films like Mimino. Natives oftheCaucasus, Russians orUkrainians played parts inwar films asactors representing different orclose cultures. This is also aninteresting style.

Aguest from Ethiopia, theCEO ofFANA Broadcasting Corporate. This is amajor Ethiopian media corporation broadcasting innine languages.

Admasu Damtew Belete, please.

CEO ofFANA Broadcasting Corporate (Ethiopia) Admasu Damtew Belete: Your Excellency, Mr President, Ithank you forthechance.

Myquestion is, how tocapitalise onacollaborative project that could benefit BRICS+ countries focusing oninfrastructure, technology, andeducation?

Ithank you.

Vladimir Putin: Which sphere, Ibeg your pardon?

Admasu Belete: Myquestion is, how tocapitalise onacollaborative project that could benefit BRICS+ countries focusing oninfrastructure, technology, andeducation?

Vladimir Putin: Asfar aseducation is concerned, let’s start with it. We traditionally have very good andpositive connections andvery good experience intraining personnel forAfrica. We have had this practice fordecades, since theSoviet Union.

Thousands ofpeople from Africa got education inRussia, many ofthem have held very different posts intheir countries after getting education inRussia, which is very pleasing forus. Aswe have witnessed such pictures atthelast Russia–Africa summit inSt Petersburg which, Ibelieve, made millions ofRussian citizens happy, since our media, television andtheinternet showed how today’s state officials from some African countries sang Russian songs infairly good Russian. This is definitely avery powerful cooperation potential– education obtained inaforeign country inaforeign language, especially inthehost country’s language. We are continuing this practice– Iam afraid tocite wrong number– but practically with many African countries if not all ofthem. This also concerns Ethiopia.

Thesecond question, orthesecond part ofyour question– you asked it first– is no less important: infrastructure. We have alot ofprojects inthis sphere, infrastructure development. Themost well-known projects are important andofglobal nature– this is theNorth-South project known tomany interested colleagues. This is amain railway line from theBaltic Sea andtothePersian Gulf. We are doing this with many ofour partners which show interest andare ready toparticipate infinancing this project, among other things.

Thesecond very large route is theNorthern Sea Route along theArctic Ocean. Alot ofwork is being done there. This is aglobal route, andmany BRICS countries show interest init because it will give major economic benefits when implemented– andwe are implementing it. We are doing very much, this is practical work.

We are building anice-breaking fleet which is similar tonone. Such anuclear ice-breaking fleet simply does not exist anywhere intheworld except forRussia. Ibelieve we have seven nuclear ice-breakers and34 diesel ice-breakers ofavery high class which are powerful andup-to-date.

Theice-breaker Leader, aswe call it, is under construction, it will break ice ofany thickness, absolutely any ice, andit will operate all year round. Asamatter offact, they escort ships, Ithink, up tonine months ayear, therefore this is avery interesting andbig project.

AsforEthiopia, we have traditionally deep relations, very good spiritual, humanitarian connections, andmany ofour companies show interest inworking ontheEthiopian market. These are utility andengineering companies. AndIwould like all oftheplans which we have discussed with thePrime Minister tobe implemented. Onour part, we will be doing everything forthis.

Dmitry Kiselev: We will be breaking ice ofany thickness.

Vladimir Putin: Well, it might not be that interesting forEthiopia asofnow. But forsuch countries asIndia, China, very many countries inother regions oftheworld, this represents ahuge economic interest. Andthis is why we are discussing this aspart ofBRICS andbilaterally, andwe are ready forsuch work with our BRICS partners.

Dmitry Kiselev: Egypt’s leading news agency, MENA, Salaheldin Magauri.

Please, go ahead.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief ofMENA news agency (Egypt) Salaheldin Magauri (retranslated): Mr President, myname is Salaheldin Magauri. Irepresent MENA news agency from Egypt. Thank you very much forinviting me tothis meeting.

We, ofcourse, know that theRussian Federation holds afair position onmany issues oftheagenda andtakes everyone’ interests into account. Russia is aspiring forcooperation rather than interference inothers’ affairs. Inparticular, aspart ofBRICS, we see that Russia supports aspirations ofdifferent countries which want tojoin it.

We understand that thesummit is taking place inaturbulent time amidst many challenges andthreats which we see attheglobal level. Iwould like tohear your vision offuture cooperation between BRICS member states andmodalities ofthegroup’s expansion, inparticular, theeconomy.

Acommon BRICS currency, which could facilitate thedevelopment ofeconomic cooperation andstrengthen national currencies, among other things, is especially intriguing.

What are thelong-term steps inthis regard?

Vladimir Putin: AsfortheBRICS common currency, we are not considering this issue. Its time has not come yet. We need tobe very careful andact gradually, without any rush.

We currently study thepossibilities tomake wider use ofnational currencies andcreate tools which would allow making such work safe. Just asImentioned it, we are examining thepossibility ofusing electronic tools. We need– andthis work is being done– tosmooth things out between central banks andensure reliable exchange offinancial information which would not depend onthose international financial information exchange tools which impose specific restrictions forpolitical reasons andviolate theglobal economy principles. We will be expanding thework ofthecurrency pool andstrengthening theNew Development Bank. We will be moving inthese directions.

Tospeak about thecreation ofacommon currency, theeconomies must be highly integrated. Andapart from high integration oftheeconomies, they must be equal inquality andvolume. But equal volume is impossible, Imean thepopulation andtheeconomies themselves. However, theeconomies must be roughly equivalent interms ofstructure andefficiency. Otherwise we will face bigger problems than theproblems which arose intheEuropean Union when thecommon currency was introduced incountries who had anincomparable level oftheeconomies, they were not equivalent. This is why it is along-term prospect, but potentially this could happen, we will be able totalk about this infuture.

Regarding expansion, thelatest wave ofBRICS expansion is over; obviously, it is only natural that our colleagues present here have asked questions astowhat steps we are taking toget new group members adapted tojoint activities. These efforts also require acertain amount oftime, even given that we have worked andinteracted with each other forawhile. We still need towork onthis asasingle structure.

AsIhave mentioned, we see agrowing interest inBRICS activities andinvolvement inthem, with 30 states indicating their willingness tocooperate with thegroup. So, jointly with our colleagues– andIam going todwell onit with our friends, leaders ofBRICS states, inKazan– we are developing such category asBRICS partner countries, theinitial step being theefforts toorganise this work. ForRussia, these primarily include theCIS andtheEurasian Economic Union member states, but we are willing toinvite countries representing other regions andwork with them aswell. This is thefirst thing.

Second, we obviously need consensus, andwe will act carefully inthis regard based ontwo principles: multilateralism andefficiency oftheassociation’s work. While increasing thenumber ofBRICS states, we should avoid reducing theeffectiveness ofthestructure toaminimum. Therefore, we will act byfollowing these considerations.

What was thefirst question? There are two. Is that all oris there something else you asked about? Expansion andasingle currency?

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes, it was also about prospects. There is one clarification though, Mr President…

Salaheldin Magauri: What do you think are theprospects andfuture oftheBRICS group?

Vladimir Putin: AsIhave mentioned, we can see new development centres andnew powerhouses being formed, andall ofthem are represented inBRICS. Inthis regard, Ibelieve that thegroup has apromising future. We have immense respect forother regional associations andwe take efforts tocooperate with them.

Frankly speaking, amidst all theactive conflicts intheworld today, Ithink that theadvancement ofBRICS will have abeneficial effect ontheglobal developments, if it develops based ontheprinciples Imentioned earlier, namely, non-confrontation andcooperation solely intheinterests ofthegroup countries.

Asyou see, we are not creating some sort ofbloc asanopposition tosomeone’s interests. This is not abloc organisation; it has auniversal character andIthink it will have anoverall positive impact onglobal affairs, including theglobal economy.

If these efforts help develop theglobal economy, they will also be beneficial forthose countries that are not part ofthis BRICS group. This is only evident, Ithink.

Ibelieve that theworld economic leaders will ultimately benefit from this aswell, even despite many ofthem now having toface certain problems. We are aware oftheissues intheeurozone, which is generally balancing ontheverge ofrecession. It will only serve forthebenefit ofthese economies if they maintain proper andsustainable relations with BRICS countries.

TheUS economy is apparently going tohave asolid growth ofover three percent this year. Following thepandemic, it indicated anupsurge of5.7 percent but then slumped to2.5 percent. This year, it will show alarger growth ofmore than three percent. Yet, it still has plenty ofproblems.

Asfar asIremember, the[US] foreign trade deficit stands atUS$718 billion, while thebudget deficit is atUS$1.8 trillion andthenational debt amounts toUS$34.8 trillion. Aswe can see, even leading economies have alot ofproblems. Ibelieve that having good relations with BRICS states– andwe are open tothese efforts– will have agenerally beneficial effect ontheglobal economy.

Dmitry Kiselev: Mr President, one clarification. You said that BRICS countries are working tocreate areliable platform forfinancial information exchange. Can we call it astep towards asingle payment system?

Vladimir Putin: No, this is about central banks exchanging financial information.

Dmitry Kiselev: But is it being done tocreate analternative toSWIFT?

Vladimir Putin: It is aSWIFT alternative, correct. This is atool tosupport international settlements, andtherefore trade.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you.

CNN Brasil, Brazil. Editorial Director Daniel Rittner, who is onthelist ofthemost respected journalists ofBrazil byJornalistas & Cia (Journalists andCompany, aBrazil magazine).

Please, go ahead, Daniel.

Editorial Director ofCNN Brasil (Brazil) Daniel Rittner: President Putin,

Thank you very much forsuch anopportunity.

Firstly, Ihave tosay that Ihave bad remembrances somehow ofKazan, because Icame in2018 fortheWorld Cup forleisure, andIwas so optimistic andconfident with Neymar andtheinternational team. We got eliminated, asyou know, andwe spent thewhole night crying.

Iam speaking ofKazan because you are preparing so carefully forthesummit ofBRICS, andwe inBrazil are also preparing very carefully another summit, which is theG20 inNovember. Brazil’s government invited you tocome totheG20, totheLeaders’ Summit.

However, thecountry’s judicial power is completely independent, andmany legal experts say it would be necessary tocomply with thearrest warrant issued bytheInternational Court ofJustice against yourself.

Inthat regard, let me ask you three simple questions. Are you planning togo totheG20 inRio inNovember? Secondly, inface ofthat, do you think that this situation that Idescribed somehow shows theweakness ofBRICS before old organisations like theICC? Andthirdly, with all due respect, do you fear toget arrested inBrazil?

Vladimir Putin: First, Iwould like tosay that theInternational Criminal Court has no universal power. This is aninternational organisation whose jurisdiction Russia does not recognise, like many other countries. Ibelieve theUS does not recognise it, andneither do China andTurkiye.

Infact, it is perhaps not bad that anindependent organisation like this exists, but it must become universal. This is thefirst point.

Second, it is very easy tobypass decisions like this. Signing anintergovernmental agreement is enough tohave thejurisdiction oftheInternational Criminal Court restricted. We have had good, strong andstable relations with Brazil formany years, even decades, so we can basically sign anintergovernmental agreement, with no one tobe put inadifficult position. That is all.

Asforindependence, Ido not want tostir up any tension here. However, we know that theInternational Criminal Court said it was about tomake adecision onseveral politicians from theMiddle East, but it was rebuffed bytheUS andhad toshut up. Where is all this? This is why respect towards anorganisation that is neither universal nor independent remains so low, unfortunately.

Andfinally, themain point. Firstly, asyou know, our situation is difficult, because theUkrainian crisis is far from over; secondly, andmost importantly, we understand that G20 is auseful forum ingeneral aslong asthere is no further political bias. Various attempts have been made topoliticise it. It was created asaneconomic platform, andif it develops this way, then it will be useful.

However, we all understand what is going onaround Russia. Iunderstand it, too. Ihave excellent friendly relations with President Lula [da Silva]. Why would Igo there tointerrupt theroutine work ofthis forum? We all understand that– andIunderstand this, too– even if we rule out theICC, theonly talk will be about it, which would undermine thework ofG20. Why? We are all adults. We will find asenior official who will suitably represent theinterests ofRussia inBrazil.

Dmitry Kiselev: Thank you.

We treat G20 with care.

Vladimir Putin: We treat everyone with care, except our enemies.

Dmitry Kiselev: Mr President, you have mentioned theUkrainian crisis. Just yesterday, while addressing theEU summit inBrussels, the‘expired president’ Vladimir Zelensky said that thesole alternative toUkraine joining NATO would be acquiring nuclear weapons. Simultaneously, theBild newspaper published aninterview with some anonymous Ukrainian tech-savvy, who claimed that Ukraine only needs afew weeks tobuild its own nuclear weapons andthen make astrike atRussian troops.

What does it all mean?

Vladimir Putin: This is yet another act ofprovocation. Inthemodern world, creating nuclear weapons is not adifficult task. Ido not know whether Ukraine is capable ofdoing this now though. It is not easy forUkraine today, but generally there are no big difficulties inthis regard, with everyone knowing how it is done.

This is adangerous act ofprovocation, because, obviously, any step inthis direction will meet anadequate response. This is thesecond point.

Andthird, most importantly, thecurrent Ukrainian leadership claimed that Ukraine should have nuclear weapons. AsIhave mentioned onmany occasions, they had stated that even before thecrisis entered its hot stage; although it was asoft statement, it was made anyway. Andsuch athreat will elicit acorresponding response from Russia.

Ican say straight away: under no circumstances will Russia allow this tohappen.

Dmitry Kiselev: But could it happen that, say, theBritish secretly provide these nuclear weapons toUkraine andthen claim that it was Ukraine that built them?

Vladimir Putin: Let’s avoid making any hypothetical assumptions andwild guesses about theBritish orwhoever secretly supplying weapons. Such efforts cannot be hidden; they require proper resources andactions. It cannot be done covertly just asyou cannot hide acat inabag. Andwe are capable oftracking any steps inthis direction.

Dmitry Kiselev: Please, Saudi Arabia, go ahead.

Faisal Abbas (retranslated): Iwould like tocontinue with theUkrainian crisis, if Imay.

You thanked Saudi Arabia forvoicing its position andassisting inwar prisoner swap with Ukraine. Everyone knows about theclose friendship between Riyadh andMoscow, but there is also friendship between Riyadh andKiev. TheCrown Prince said inaninterview with Fox News that Saudi Arabia was doing everything possible tohelp settle thecrisis.

What is your assessment ofSaudi Arabia’s efforts? Many BRICS countries have offered asolution. You said that Riyadh was close both toUkraine andRussia. Would Russia take part inapeace conference if it takes place inafriendly country, such asSaudi Arabia, inthenear future, say, until theend oftheyear?

Vladimir Putin: You have just mentioned thefriendship between Russia andSaudi Arabia. It is true; we regard Saudi Arabia asafriendly country. Ihave warm relations with theKing andalso enjoy friendly personal relations with theCrown Prince. Iknow forsure that everything done bySaudi Arabia inthis direction is done sincerely. Ihave no doubt about that. If Saudi Arabia hosts anevent like this, then, ofcourse, it would be acomfortable venue forus.

However, thequestion is what is there todiscuss. Asyou know, we had lengthy negotiations inIstanbul, Turkiye, which resulted inadocument that was initialled bythehead oftheUkrainian delegation, who put his signature there. We have this document– it is adraft agreement– andtheextract from it. Once again, it was initialled bythehead ofthenegotiating delegation.

So if Ukraine signed thedocument it means that it suited Ukraine, atleast regarding thepoints ofprinciple. Some details there could be discussed andadjusted further, but Ithink it is wrong tototally disregard this document, orelse any document could be disregarded inthis manner.

Therefore, we are ready foradialogue onapeace settlement totheconflict, but only based onthedocument that was developed during thethorough talks that took several months andwere initialled bytheUkrainian side. We are ready tocontinue working onthese grounds.

There are theinitiatives launched byChina andBrazil, who have avery sober andobjective approach tothesettlement process, with acorresponding group established inNew York. We are monitoring it carefully, with respect, keeping inmind that all our friends, including BRICS countries, want topromptly settle this conflict bypeaceful means. Ofcourse, we understand that this is anaggravating factor ininternational affairs, inEuropean affairs, andintheeconomy. We are interested insettling it assoon aspossible andbypeaceful means like no one else.

Let me repeat this: we are ready tocome back. It was not us who broke off thetalks; it was theUkrainian side saying that it would not continue negotiations with Russia.

Inaddition, apresidential executive order was issued inUkraine prohibiting any negotiations with us, which is still ineffect. They have tocancel it first. It is ridiculous toeven say this. Everyone is calling onus tonegotiate while forgetting that theUkrainian side has prohibited itself tonegotiate. It is simply ridiculous.

However, thefoundation remains themost important thing, this foundation being thedraft document developed during theIstanbul negotiations.

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes, thank you.

We can already see aqueue forming. Please, go ahead, theUnited Arab Emirates, then South Africa, andthen Brazil. TheEmirates, please.

Nadim Koteich (retranslated): Mr President,

Assomeone who has athorough understanding ofmilitary strategies, do you see any surprises orperhaps feel any disappointment intheRussian army’s performance inthis war that has been going onforalong time, longer than you expected?

Andthesecond question: could you determine when you will achieve victory inUkraine?

Vladimir Putin: You know, setting any deadlines is avery complicated andeven counterproductive action.

We have just spoken about thepossibility ofpeace talks. We are all forit. Idescribed how it could be implemented. If this is atotally earnest stance that both sides adhere to, then thesooner thebetter.

Regarding thearmy: you know, thecharacter ofwarfare is ever-evolving intoday’s world due totechnological progress. It is rather difficult today togive atotally accurate assessment oftomorrow’s events.

Moreover, just recently, people were saying that thetoday’s warfare was aconfrontation oftechnologies. Today, Ihave already heard our participants incombat operations saying that thetoday’s warfare is a“war ofmathematicians.”

Here is aspecific example: electronic warfare means are used tointercept [theenemy’s] means ofdestruction andsuppress them. Theother side makes certain assessments andmakes changes tothestrike weapons software. Within aweek, ten days, three weeks, theother side increases its efforts andmakes adjustments tothesoftware inits electronic suppression means. Theprocess continues endlessly. Ofcourse, it is totally evident that theUkrainian army is unable todo it, neither can they use high-precision andlong-range weapons asthey simply do not have them. It is evident that this is being done byNATO, its member countries, andmilitary specialists.

Do you see thedifference? NATO is fighting us, but they are fighting this proxy war using Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine does not spare its soldiers intheinterests ofthird states. But it is NATO that uses high-tech weapons, not Ukraine, while theRussian army fights byitself, creating its own military products anddeveloping its own software, which makes animmense difference. Ihave noticed that theRussian army is definitely becoming one ofthemost high-tech andefficient ones, especially recently. When will NATO get weary offighting us? Well, ask them. We are ready tocontinue this fight– andwe will be victorious.

Dmitry Kiselev: We will be victorious.

South Africa, please.

Iqbal Survé: Thank you, Mr President.

When Ilisten tosome ofthequestions andsome ofthecomments, Iam inaway very happy that Istay inCape Town onthesouthernmost tip oftheAfrican continent, far away from many ofthese conflicts.

But Ialso reflect onwhether ornot theworld needs aMandela moment, andwhether BRICS andyour leadership can provide that Mandela moment, because, you know, every war has tobe followed bypeace. That is asine qua non oftheworld through theages. Andwe have toalways find thepath topeace. Often, thepath topeace is not thepath topeace; it is not very easy, because it is not very obvious.

It is also made alot more difficult bythetechnological involvement inwar today, inconflicts today, because inaway it disassociates people from thewar inaway, so tospeak.

Mr President, myquestion is acontradictory one, because, ontheone hand, Ithink you are apeace lover andyou want peace, theRussian people want peace, thepeople intheMiddle East want peace, andthepeople inother parts oftheworld want piece. But just before we came into this meeting today, theTurkish foreign minister was meeting with anumber ofhis counterparts, Ithink principally intheMiddle East, andhe made quite aserious statement. TheTurkish foreign minister said that there is anextremely high probability ofawar between Israel andIran. You may ormay not have seen that statement bytheTurkish foreign minister. Ofcourse, that would be devastating fortheregion anddevastating fortheworld.

Myquestion is, what are your thoughts onthis, Mr President? Can you intervene andwhat will you do asRussia? Andwhat will BRICS do if this is tohappen?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, this situation is complicated anddangerous. Ihave just described thedevelopments around Ukraine toyour colleague andsaid that NATO was fighting this proxy war using Ukrainian soldiers, while Ukrainian soldiers were using NATO weapons. Andwe are doing everything ourselves. We are fighting ourselves andmaking weapons ourselves. Thedifference is immense, infact. NATO doesn’t care about Ukrainians: they are not its soldiers. It serves theinterests oftheUnited States, andinthis sense theUS doesn’t care either. Unlike us, forwe do care about our soldiers andequipment.

When we think about our soldiers, we think about ensuring peace, including bypeaceful means. This is ashuge difference. We do not issue orders prohibiting peace talks but say that we are ready forthem.

Thesituation around Iran andIsrael is critical, too. Awar breaking out there, God forbid, would mean direct military involvement ofboth countries’ armies. We stay intouch with both Israel andIran, with which we have quite trustworthy relations. We would like it very much that this exchange ofblows, which may very well turn tobe endless, stops atsome point andways are found tosettle theconflict that satisfy both sides.

Theanswer tothis question always lies onthepath towards compromises. Are they possible inthis situation ornot? Ibelieve they are. However difficult this may be, Istill believe it is possible. This is anissue too delicate totry topredict anddiscuss publicly. Ithink this is counterproductive, because it could be harmful.

However, thesearch forsolutions like this is highly needed. Ofcourse, if theconflicting parties are interested, we are ready toassist sincerely, with due consideration fortheinterests ofboth parties.

Russia andIran have allied relations, andwe can feel very well what is happening invarious spheres inthis country. Moreover, how can one comment onthose previous strikes byIsrael? What comments can there be?

Ontheother hand, Iwould like toemphasise that we always speak against any terrorist attacks, including those aimed atIsrael andits citizens. This is also something we should never forget.

Asforthequestion whether acompromise is possible, Ibelieve it is. If necessary, we, inrapport with both sides, are ready todo everything inour power tohelp seek these compromises.

Dmitry Kiselev: Mr Rittner, go ahead, please.

Daniel Rittner: Let me, please, get back tothesix-point peace plan proposed byChina andBrazil.

Would you consider tosit atthetable andstart negotiations ontheterms proposed byChina andBrazil? Besides, Mr President, President Zelensky ofUkraine called theplan destructive andsaid President Lula ofBrazil could be considered too much pro-Russian, that’s his words.

Would you consider Mr Lula da Silva anally, do you think he can play arole innegotiations between Russia andUkraine?

Vladimir Putin: Well, we knew absolutely nothing about China andBrazil’s proposal onsetting up acorresponding group intheUN anddeveloping acorresponding plan. That is, neither Brazil nor China– countries we have very close relations with– chose toconsult with us while seeking solutions toapeaceful settlement; they acted asthey thought proper.

It is adifferent question whether it is good orbad. But this simply proves that both Brazil andChina are acting independently, without playing into anyone’s hands, including Russia’s. Iam saying it toyou openly andresponsibly; it can be reported byany media. Our Foreign Minister updated me directly from New York about thedevelopments, without any preliminary consultations with Brazil andChina. Ibelieve these are balanced andsensible proposals aimed atseeking apeaceful solution. If someone dislikes it, that’s their stance.

AsIhave said, Ukraine deems it impossible tohold any [peace] talks, it simply voices its demands, andthat’s about it. These aren’t talks. They negotiated with us but ceased todo so after agreements were reached inIstanbul, andthat’s it. Andnow they do not want to.

Just recently, when thehead oftheKiev regime visited New York, he has once again said publicly that they are not going toengage inany talks. What more can Isay? It is their choice tolike ordislike theproposals made byBrazil andChina.

We got familiarised with these proposals only after they were made public. Once again, Ibelieve they could serve asasolid foundation forfurther attempts toseek peace.

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes, please. We have India here.

Sudhakar Nair: Mr President,

Myquestion is akind ofmix ofsome oftheearlier questions, it relates totheUkrainian conflict.

Some time back you suggested that, you know, that India, China andBrazil could be potential mediators tobring anend totheconflict. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi freely communicates with you, also with theUkrainian President andalso with theUS.

Do you feel that apotential mediation could exist inthenear future?

Vladimir Putin: You see, your colleague has just asked aquestion about thedevelopments andtension ontheIran-Israel track andIanswered that if anything depends onRussia orour mediation is needed, we will be happy tocollaborate with our colleagues.

Thesame refers toour friends whom we totally trust. Inthis case Imean Prime Minister Modi. Yes, Iknow that during each telephone conversation with me he raises this issue andoffers his insights about it. Iam grateful tohim forthat andwelcome it.

Thank you.

Dmitry Kiselev: We are close towrapping up. TheEmirates, Nadim, go ahead.

Nadim Koteich (retranslated): Mr President,

Iwould like tofollow up onthequestion from our Brazilian colleague. You have already said Mohammed bin Zayed will arrive inRussia soon, andyou will have ameeting. It is atruly important visit. You paid awonderful visit toAbu Dhabi earlier. We also spoke about theICC andits activities.

Importantly, Mohammed bin Zayed was intheUnited States todiscuss technology cooperation with theUS. How do you perceive theUAE interms oftheir capability tobuild up relations with Iran, theUSA, with your andother countries, tocooperate with international organisations such astheICC? Is it anexample ofapolicy you would like topursue?

Vladimir Putin: This is agood example indeed. We have very good relations with theArab Emirates. Ihave avery trustful andfriendly contact with thePresident. Iam confident that his visit will be very fruitful.

Forits unofficial part, Imean toinvite him tomyplace nearby. We will have dinner, spend theevening together andtalk over all current issues.

ThePresident oftheArab Emirates really manages tomaintain good andvery business-like relations with agreat number ofpartners. It is very valuable initself. So, we shall see.

Infact, Saudi Arabia too has done alot forus, including ondetainee swaps. We have similar contact with theUnited Arab Emirates. Our economic ties are progressing andour trade is growing. It is not asbig asthat with China, not US$240 billion, but nevertheless, thetrend is positive. This is thefirst point. Andthesecond point is that our investment fund has been operating very well andwith success. Andit is just one specific instance ofour bilateral relations.

Regarding theMiddle East agenda, we heed thevoice coming from theUAE leadership andwe certainly factor it inour practical policy.

Dmitry Kiselev: Fan Yun, China, please go ahead.

Fan Yun (retranslated): We have just discussed many security issues. Iam very grateful toyou, Mr President, forgiving such animportant description ofRussian-Chinese relations. TheChinese Foreign Ministry has released astatement that President [ofChina] Xi Jinping will attend thesummit inKazan. Do you think that bilateral relations are intheir best era under your andPresident Xi Jinping’s strategic guidance? What do you expect inthelong term?

Russia-China relations look very promising today whether we speak about theproduction capacities that China andits government are promoting, e-commerce, orany new spheres. Which areas ofbilateral relations do you think are themost promising?

Vladimir Putin: Now we are actively working intheenergy sector, asyou know, andwe will definitely continue todevelop this area. We are working tocreate two units atChinese nuclear power plants andalso supply alarge amount ofenergy resources, both oil andgas. We will expand this cooperation.

AsIhave mentioned, this is beneficial forus andalso serves asareliable source forour Chinese friends because it is free from any outside influence. This is asort ofbasic thing. We also expand cooperation inagriculture.

We are grateful toour Chinese friends foropening their market abit where it serves their interests, including forthesupply ofagricultural products like pork andsome other goods. But these are traditional areas ofcooperation, ofcourse.

Yet, we must certainly look tothefuture, with themost important areas including high-tech cooperation, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, genetics, andspace.

Dmitry Kiselev: Yes, please, Saudi Arabia.

Faisal J. Abbas (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr President.

Thank you fortaking thetime, andtwo short questions from me.

Thefirst one concerns Pavel Durov, who holds thecitizenship ofFrance, Russia andtheEmirates. We are well aware ofwhat has been happening tohim recently. What can Russia do tohelp him?

Thesecond question is about thehead ofIran’s parliament. He made astrange statement ontheimplementation ofthe[UN]Security Council Resolution 1701. He commented onit quite negatively during his contacts with theFrench. What can Russia do within theBRICS format tomend therelations between, let’s say, Israel andIran? Andis there athreat ofaserious conflict between these countries?

Vladimir Putin: Look, first ofall, therelations between Israel andIran should be built bythetwo countries– Israel andIran. It is their job, we cannot interfere inbilateral relations oftwo respected states intheMiddle East which have animportant role there.

Asforthestatements, made bythehead ofIran’s parliament, tomymind Ihardly need tomake any comments onthestatements made byheads ofrepresentative authorities ofother countries. Let me note once again, we have very kind, allied andvery trust-based relations with Iran. Thesituation is tense, everyone is expecting possible strikes byIsrael with bated breath. Ireally do hope that any escalation ofthis conflict will be avoided.

Let me reiterate once again: we are ready todo our utmost, totheextent possible, if our role inthis case is perceived positively, fortheconflict intheGaza Strip tobe settled eventually inapeaceful way, forhorrible strikes against civilians tostop andforthesituation insouthern Lebanon tonormalise, so that reciprocal strikes from both sides cease andpeaceful life comes tothis area once again.

Ibelieve that no one is actually interested infurther widening thespiral ofthis conflict, no one– either forsecurity reasons oreconomic reasons. This is why Ibelieve that chances tofind asolution exist. But whether this will be done ornot, depends primarily onthecountries involved inthis conflict.

Tobe continued.