Putin seeks to establish mechanisms to intensify war during BRICS summit – ISW

Thirty-six world leaders, including representatives from the People's Republic of China (PRC), India, South Africa and Iran, have arrived in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, for the 16th annual BRICS summit, where Russia is likely to seek mechanisms to strengthen its military efforts in Ukraine.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Quote: "Russia will likely use the BRICS summit as an opportunity to showcase its efforts at enhancing global ties with non-Western states and possibly establish deals and trade mechanisms through which it can support its war efforts in Ukraine by mitigating the impacts of Western sanctions."

Details: On 22 October, several world leaders, including UN Secretary General António Guterres, the Taliban’s Minister of Trade and Industry Nooruddin Azizi, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, arrived in Kazan for the BRICS summit. 

Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit, where they underscored the importance of Russo-Chinese relations and Xi emphasised BRICS as a platform for global strategic cooperation.

Putin also held discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, focusing on bilateral ties, creating a multipolar world order and using national currencies for trade. 

Modi stressed the importance of finding "the earliest possible" peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed India’s potential role as a mediator.

In addition, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reported that India had successfully repatriated 85 Indian citizens who had involuntarily joined the Russian military in Ukraine, with Modi set to negotiate the return of 20 more nationals during the summit.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 22 October:

• Ukrainian forces conducted a series of drone strikes on the night of 21 to 22 October targeting distilleries in Russia that reportedly manufacture products for the Russian military.
• South Korea may be considering directly sending weapons and intelligence personnel to Ukraine in response to the reported deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to participate in Russia's war in Ukraine.
• Thirty-six world leaders, including from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, South Africa, and Iran, arrived in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, for the 16th annual BRICS summit held from 22 to 24 October during which Russia will likely seek to establish mechanisms to enhance its war effort in Ukraine.
• A recent Russian opinion poll suggests that Russian leader Vladimir Putin enjoys widespread support among Russian citizens even though many do not agree with some of the Kremlin's policies, including about the war.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Kurakhove and Vuhledar.
• Russian forces conducted multilateral military exercises with international partners. Iran hosted Russian and Omani naval forces as part of the IMEX 2024 naval drills, which took place between 19-20 October in the Indian Ocean.

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