BRICS showed that Putin is not isolated The anti-European summit gathered the main autocrats
Thiago Lucas
During the BRICS summit 2024 in Kazan (Russia), Bloomberg published a piece stating that the West’s attempts to isolate Vladimir Putin have run their course. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed an open interest in expanding relations with Russia. The summit was attended by leaders from 32 countries and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. According to Bloomberg, this demonstrates Putin’s defiance against the West’s efforts to isolate him due to the war in Ukraine.
Reflecting on this, Brazilian artist Thiago Lucas published an illustration that very accurately depicts the hidden goal of the summit—confrontation between the EU and the USA.
Major global media outlets agree that Russian BRICS aims to position itself against the G7 and G20, presenting Vladimir Putin as a "leader who challenges the imposed Western order". During the meeting, Xi stated that the "deep friendship" between Russia and China will not change amid the "chaos in the world". Modi mentioned that his recent visits to Russia demonstrate "our close and deepening" relationship. Finally, António Guterres, who ignored the Swiss Peace Summit organized by Ukraine, attended BRICS, clearly expressing his preferences.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres bows to Vladimir Putin
AFP
China referred to itself as a "great friend of Russia" even before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while India refrained from publicly expressing support. BRICS 2024 confirmed the consolidation of Russia’s efforts and its desire to demonstrate its policy support to the world. Tiago Lucas’s illustration effectively reflects the summit’s main hidden goal—expressing confrontation against the West, represented by the European Union and the United States.
Thiago Lucas
Another illustration by German artist Patrick Chappatte vividly reflects the ambitions of BRICS members to position themselves as a new global allied force, equal to the UN. In it, Russian and North Korean soldiers are depicted as peacekeepers, creating an ironic contrast with their actual actions on the world stage. Chappatte skillfully uses visual satire to highlight BRICS’s efforts to establish itself as an influential international bloc, while casting doubt on the sincerity and peacefulness of their intentions.
Patrick Chappatte