19/10/2024
By Ishtwan Kamel
Putin, who does not indulge in visits from foreign leaders, is preparing for the BRICS summit in Kazan on 22-24 October with particular care in the midst of international restrictions.
The capital of Tatarstan will be the meeting point not only for the heads of state and government of the BRICS member states, but also for guests of honour. Representatives of 32 countries will attend the BRICS summit, 24 of which are going to be represented by their leaders, according to Yuri Ushakov.
A special guest, for whom the Kremlin is already preparing a warm welcome, is expected to attend the summit – UN Secretary General António Guterres. Guterres arrival was announced by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and later confirmed by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, although the UN Secretary General office does not comment on future visits.
But is Mr. Guterres aware of the risks involved in his participation in the BRICS summit? Or is his own reputation and the image of the organisation he represents no longer at stake?
As far as the Kremlin is concerned, the Kazan summit is a platform for Putin to show that he is not isolated in the international arena. They are trying to rally the countries of the South around Russia. It is a platform on which he is trying to build an anti-Western bloc with Xi Jinping.
But at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Putin will also push through an alternative China-Brazil “Peace Plan” to resolve the “Ukrainian crisis”. His aim is to dilute the now weak support for Ukraine from the Global South and to undermine Kyiv’s efforts to organize a second Peace Summit.
The visit of the UN Secretary General to an aggressor country that threatens the world with nuclear weapons is a demonstration of contempt for the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is a new argument for Moscow in its dialogue with the Global South. And it is a gift to Putin as well. He wants to destroy the existing world order and international law by asserting the supremacy of the strongest.
The mere presence of the UN Secretary General in Kazan will provide the Kremlin with more than just a favourable information backdrop for the BRICS summit. Many of its members are trying to turn the association into an anti-Western alliance. Guterres arrival will give Russian propaganda an excuse to shout from all TV screens and social networks that the UN supports the advancement of the China-Brazil plan to resolve the “Ukrainian crisis”.
The China-Brazil plan is wrapped in beautiful and correct words about “respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter”. But in reality, this plan does not provide for this. There is no accountability, no payment for destruction in Ukraine.
Behind the six points of this plan is the freezing of the conflict and the deprivation of Ukraine’s right to liberate the territory occupied by Russia.
The UN is now facing a serious crisis, and Guterres credibility has been undermined both by his stance regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war and his reaction to events in the Middle East. Tel Aviv declared Guterres persona non grata after he failed to unequivocally condemn Iran’s recent rocket attack on Israel.
Against this background, his trip to Russia, which is waging an unjust and invasive war against Ukraine, is a more than obvious manifestation of sympathy for the aggressor country, considering that Guterres did not participate in the Peace Summit organised in Switzerland.
And this is not for the first time that such a sympathy has been on display. Earlier, Guterres was so interested in resuming the grain trade that he was prepared to accommodate Russia’s interests. In particular, he offered to lift the financial sanctions imposed by the EU on the Russian Agricultural Bank by using a specially created subsidiary of the Russian Bank. To insure Russian ships that would export grain against Ukrainian attacks, and to allow Russian ships carrying food and fertilizer to enter EU ports.
These proposals by Guterres were essentially a nullification of a number of international sanctions against Russia. The UN Secretary-General said he wanted to renew the grain deal because he wanted to avoid a global food crisis. But in fact, as the US noted, Guterres actions “undermined broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine”.
Even if Guterres travels to Kazan with good intentions to achieve a just peace in Ukraine, Russian propaganda will portray his visit in a pro-Putin light within Russia and in the Global South. Ultimately, Guterres participation in the BRICS summit may discredit not only him as SG, but also the UN.