"Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed at a virtual summit with the presidents of China, India, Brazil and South Africa on Thursday in a stark reminder of the limits of U.S.-led efforts to ostracize Moscow.
The Brics nation summit, hosted virtually by Chinese President Xi Jinping, gave Mr. Putin his most high-profile international stage in the four months since sanctions upon Russia were hardened and he used it to denounce economic sanctions and call for unity among developing economies, a call echoed by Mr. Xi.
Mr. Putin's presence demonstrated Russia's strategic importance to disparate corners of the world and the limited appetite among some pivotal nations to join Western boycotts of trade. The Brics grouping represents four of the world's 10 most populous countries as well as four of the biggest 15 economies.
"The holding of the Brics summit with Russia included is an indication that President Putin is not a pariah for everyone," said Manjari Chatterjee Miller, a senior fellow at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.
In published statements of summit remarks, none of the Brics leaders appeared to blame Moscow for the conflict or refer to it as a war, though some pointed to its impact on inflation and disruptions to global food supplies.
A final statement from the group obliquely said the leaders discussed "the situation in Ukraine" and expressed their support for talks between Moscow and Kyiv, while referring issues such as humanitarian assistance to multilateral bodies like the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Brics summit is just one of the major political events that in coming months are expected to demonstrate how the sanctions on Russia isn't a black-and-white issue to some nations, the way it is to the U.S. and its allies.
India, for instance, is both a buyer of Russian oil and military equipment, but an increasingly sought-after partner for the U.S. against Chinese assertiveness. Brazil officially opposes the conflict, but has been reluctant to support sanctions against Russia, the source of a fifth of the fertilizer that underpins its huge farming industry.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has frustrated some Western officials by not supporting sanctions, on Thursday avoided the topic, though he alluded to widespread concern in Africa about food-supply challenges and rising prices that generally are blamed on the sanctions.
Officially, China hasn't taken sides in the conflict, but has used the conflict to assert that U.S. expansionism is the core global problem, as Mr. Xi did in addressing his Brics guests.
"Our world today is overshadowed by the dark clouds of Cold War mentality and power politics," Mr. Xi said, using words Chinese officials often employ to signal opposition to U.S. foreign policy. While he called "the Ukraine crisis" a wake-up call for the world, he also faulted "blind faith in the so-called position of strength" and expanding military alliances.
Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, represents a particularly knotty challenge for Washington over Ukraine.
In late May, Mr. Biden said he implored Mr. Modi to look at the sanctions as a global issue, rather than a European one. India has signed onto a vague Indo-Pacific Economic Framework promoted by Washington to counter China's power in trade, though there is little sense Mr. Biden has moved Mr. Modi regarding Russia.
The two were meeting in Tokyo for a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a grouping that also includes Japan and Australia.
Thursday's lengthy Brics communique lacked anti-U.S. rhetoric, such as criticism of Washington's economic sanctions, as expressed by Messrs. Xi and Putin in their individual remarks.” [1]
1. The Ukraine Crisis: Summit Welcomes Putin, Shows Disconnect With West --- The Brics meeting displayed the challenge for U.S.-led efforts to ostracize Moscow
Areddy, James T.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 24 June 2022: A.10.
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