Putin defies the West, but 'we shouldn't overestimate the importance of this BRICS summit'

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00:00Well to take an even closer look at the position of Russia on that world stage

00:03We can speak now to professor of Russian studies at the University of Saint-Gallant in Switzerland Ulrich Schmed

00:10Thanks so much for your time. Just looking at that summit, you know a three-day international summit

00:16He's joined by over 20 heads of state, you know this summit clearly showing that Putin does have power globally

00:22He hasn't lost it at all despite Western efforts

00:26In a certain sense, yes, but at the same time we shouldn't overestimate

00:31the significance of this summit

00:33I think already the fact that more than 20 head of states are attending is a success for Putin

00:42But at the same time there are also some bitter pills to swallow

00:47so for instance, the Serbian president is absent and

00:52Also, the Kazakh president is absent and at the same time we are hearing rumors

00:59that even the Brazilian president did not have a

01:04domestic accident

01:06But that the agendas between Brazil and Russia are so diverging

01:12that president

01:14Dalula preferred to attend online and not in person

01:19Indeed we had been told that he was unable to but maybe that's more a choice rather than a necessity interesting

01:26But you know seeing this grouping of nations

01:30It started with just the BRIC countries themselves that acronym, but it's expanded very rapidly

01:36You know are all these countries coming together to form what Putin would like to see a global East a real counterweight to the West in

01:43the world

01:44this is clearly the claim that especially Putin has but

01:49At the same time we have to see that this is a very heterogeneous

01:53Clock from the very beginning on as you know it back in 2001

01:59It was an economist who defined the group of the BRIC

02:03countries and then these countries took up this proposal and

02:09decided to form this organization and the

02:13Enlargement that is now being announced or already taking place rather weakens

02:20the whole

02:21organization then

02:23Strengthens it because we do have very diverging

02:27agendas among the the member states so for instance Russia and Iran are

02:34extremely interested to create

02:37alternative

02:38Trade platforms alternative payment systems to evade the heavy sanctions

02:45there under and at the same time we do have other countries who are just in favor of

02:52multilateral world orders such as Brazil or India and they at the same time

02:58Want to continue to have very good relations also with Western countries including the United States

03:07Indeed a Russia and Iran under sanctions want to move away from using the dollar for example and find another way around that

03:14But when you look at the last year, so that the war in Ukraine the invasion by Russia

03:20Hasn't really tarnished him in his relationship with this group of countries

03:25Yes, because

03:27Russia did not succeed to create support for Russia's position in the Ukraine war

03:36if we look for instance at the

03:39Indian Prime Minister Modi

03:43He showed up in Kiev, which was a huge diplomatic success for Ukraine

03:50of course

03:51Modi also

03:53Did not introduce sanctions against Russia

03:58He has met up with Putin

04:00But at the same times there were also clear critical signals from India

04:06At the address of Moscow. So for instance before the full-scale invasion in 22

04:13There was an annual meeting always in December between the two head of states of India and Russia and

04:21for the first time in December 22

04:24India cancelled this

04:27meeting and

04:29Modi also said at one point that this is not a time for war, but it's a time for peace and

04:37a similar position can also be seen in Beijing the Chinese are not amused with this war and

04:47I think this is also one of the many problems that this heterogeneous

04:53Summit has to cope with

04:55Do you expect anything any real outcome from this three-day summit?

05:00Well, the big items on the agenda are of course the buzzword

05:07De-dollarization, I don't think that there will be any significant success

05:13But as I said already

05:16the fact that Putin managed to get 20

05:21head of states to Russia is an enormous diplomatic success and will send out signals

05:29to the West and to the United States that Putin is not as

05:34Isolated as the West would like him to be

05:38Well, Ricky Smith. Thanks so much for your time and joining us here on France 24 very much appreciated

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