Russian President Vladimir Putin has opted to expand cooperation between the countries that make up the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), who are celebrating their XV summit in Johannesburg. The objective of the Russian president, who has not been able to travel to the South African capital due to the arrest warrant, is to guarantee the world the supply of food and energy resources.
“Russia is in favor of establishing closer cooperation within the BRICS framework for the reliable and uninterrupted supply of energy and food resources to world markets,” he said during his speech by videoconference at the Economic Leaders Forum, hosted by Efe.
Putin stressed that Moscow is increasing supplies of fuel, agricultural products and fertilizers to the countries of the global south and contributes greatly to strengthening global food and energy security, and combating poverty and hunger in the countries most in need. In this regard, he insists that his country is capable of replacing Ukrainian grain in the world both commercially and free of charge as humanitarian aid.
He repeated the promise made at the recent Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg that they would deliver cargoes of 25,000-50,000 tons of grain for free to six African countries. “Talks with partners are already concluding,” she said, noting that Russia has had “a magnificent harvest.”
The Kremlin, ready to return to the initiative of the Black Sea
The Russian leader once again insisted that the Kremlin is ready to return to the Sea Initiative at the start of the war in Ukraine 18 months ago.
After Russia abandoned the grain agreements in mid-July, Ukraine began to look for new export routes for its grain, an itinerary already used by a first ship to leave the port of Odessa for the Bosphorus Strait.
In turn, Putin stressed that the five countries that make up the BRICS surpass the G7 countries “in purchasing power parity.” And he expected an “irreversible” process, the relinquishment of the dollar in exchanges and transfers between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“The percentage of the dollar in export and import operations necessarily”
“As a result, the percentage of the dollar in export and import operations within the BRICS framework turned out. Last year it amounted to only 28.7%,” he noted.
Putin is notably absent from the summit in Johannesburg, where he was unable to fly for fear of being arrested following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. He is replaced by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has made several tours of the African continent in the last two years in search of support for his cause.
