At the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, Vladimir Putin is leading an ambitious effort to position BRICS as a counterforce to the Western-led global order. Joined by powerful allies, including China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, Putin aims to forge economic ties that bypass the West’s influence. The summit drew 36 nations, with Putin emphasizing goals such as a new payment network to challenge SWIFT and bolster economic independence among BRICS nations. For Putin, this gathering is not only a diplomatic success but also a rebuttal to U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
The meeting between Putin and Xi was especially notable, highlighting a strategic relationship aimed at solidifying a shared vision for global influence. “Our multifaceted cooperation is equal, mutually beneficial,” Putin remarked, underscoring a partnership he deems a model for international relations, in stark contrast to the fractured Western alliances he criticizes. BRICS’s expansion and its strengthening economic alternatives signal a growing alliance among countries seeking autonomy from U.S. financial systems and sanctions, positioning BRICS as a serious global economic and political contender.
China’s influence in BRICS and its growing ties with Russia have sparked concern among Western policymakers, who see the group’s ambitions as challenging the longstanding “rules-based” system. BRICS’s potential alternative payment network is intended to sidestep sanctions, making it a direct challenge to the West’s economic leverage. Furthermore, Putin’s emphasis on Global South solidarity has appealed to nations frustrated by Western dominance, potentially expanding BRICS’s reach even further.
For the U.S. and its allies, Putin’s vision for BRICS raises urgent questions. As BRICS pursues policies that reduce Western sway, a global power shift is emerging. The Kazan summit has effectively signaled that Putin’s Russia, sidelined by Western powers, is not only resilient but reasserting influence in the East—a shift that may reshape geopolitics in ways the West can no longer ignore.
