The countries of the Global South are inclined to develop relations with Russia despite pressure from the West, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on Western pressure on participants in the BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
"This [the Western pressure] is, unfortunately, happening all the time in recent years. It tends to worsen. They are trying to interrupt, exclude contacts ... with us [Russia]. But as we can see, the Global South and the majority of countries globally are leaning toward the idea that we need to develop the relationship in every way possible," Peskov told Russia’s Channel One broadcaster.
In mid-June, Russian President Vladimir Putin led a meeting at Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he stated that the West, through its actions, has not only disrupted military-political stability globally but also discredited and weakened critical market institutions with sanctions and trade wars.
He added that by leveraging the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and manipulating the climate agenda, the West hampers the development of the Global South. Facing losses in competition, even by the rules it established, it resorts to restrictive barriers and various forms of protectionism.