Ukraine Crisis, BRICS Partnerships, Relations With West: Putin's Presser Following BRICS Summit

All BRICS member states are committed to ending the conflict in Ukraine peacefully as soon as possible, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"Everyone is expecting that the conflict ends as soon as possible and, preferably, by peaceful means," Putin told the press conference.

The Russian president noted that many BRICS member states supported peace initiatives proposed by China and Brazil during the UN General Assembly in New York.

"In turn, we are grateful for our partners' attention to this conflict and their efforts to find a way to put an end to it," President Putin said.

Kiev's provocations in Russia's Kursk Region are related to attempts to interfere in the election process and the domestic political situation in the United States in order to show the US that investments in conflict are not in vain, he continued.

"Even their [Ukraine's] provocations in the Kursk direction are connected with attempts to interfere in the internal political situation and in the electoral process in the United States. They want to show by all means to the current administration and the voters of the current administration of this party that their investments in Ukraine were not in vain," Putin said, adding that Kiev's behavior was irrational.

Furthermore, there's really no point to give figures for the chances of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine because Kiev has repeatedly refused peace talks, the Russian president said, adding that the ball is on Ukraine's side.

"As for the negotiations with Ukraine, I have already said it many times ... The leaders of the Kiev regime do not want to negotiate. The beginning of peace negotiations would lead to the need to lift martial law, and immediately after that, presidential elections should be held. Apparently, they are not ready yet," the president stated, adding that "the ball is in their court."

Putin noted that Ukraine's losses in manpower in the Kursk region over the past month had amounted to 26,000.

"It is better to sit down at the negotiating table than to voice Ukraine's losses on the battlefield," Putin noted.

Aside from that, the Russian leader believes that US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was sincere about hoping to resolve the Ukrainian conflict if elected. At the same time, Putin denied having any backroom contacts with Trump.

The president also believes that Ukraine was probably not ready to hold presidential elections at the moment.

Nevertheless, Russia will consider any options for peace agreements on Ukraine based on the realities on the ground and provided that Kiev is indeed ready to talk, the Russian leader added. Putin cited a proposal he had recently received from an aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which Kiev immediately rejected.

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Putin's Statements on BRICS Financial Policy

The BRICS countries are committed to strengthening partnership in the financial sector, Putin said, adding that the BRICS countries will develop communication between banks, create conditions for settlements in national currencies.

Russia has proposed to extend Brazil's chairmanship of the BRICS New Development Bank, the Russian president added.

Furthermore, the bloc is not creating any alternatives to the SWIFT payment system and Russia uses its financial communications system to conduct foreign payments, Putin said, adding that a number of BRICS member states also have such an opportunity to use their national payment systems.

"As for SWIFT and some alternatives, we have not created and are not creating any alternatives, but nevertheless the issue is very important; today one of the key issues is the issue of settlements. And that is why we are following the path of using national currencies; this is well known. As for the settlement systems, we use the Russian financial information exchange system created by the Central Bank of Russia," Putin said.

Other BRICS member states also have their own payment systems, and Russia already uses them for settlements, the Russian president said.

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Putin Highlights BRICS Commitment to Democratic and Multipolar World

The BRICS countries are committed to building a more democratic and multipolar world order, said the Russian leader.

"At the summit, the BRICS Kazan declaration was approved, summarizing the discussions that took place. The result, in our opinion, is a comprehensive, conceptual document with a positive agenda aimed at the future. It is important that it confirms the commitment of all our states to building a more democratic, inclusive and multipolar world order based on international law and the UN Charter," Putin said.

The BRICS group of the world's fastest-growing economies does not operate in a closed format and remains open to all nations that share its values, he continued.

"We confirmed in Kazan that BRICS is not a closed format. It is open to all who share the values of BRICS, and its members are ready to work together to find common solutions without external pressure or attempts to impose narrow approaches on anyone," Putin told the press conference.

Furthermore, according to the president, Russia takes the duties of BRICS chairmanship responsibly.

"The 16th BRICS Summit has just successfully concluded. It was the culmination of the Russian presidency of the association and one of the most notable events in the global political calendar. I have said more than once that Russia takes the duties of the BRICS chairman responsibly; more than 200 events have been held in 13 Russian cities," Putin said.

Russia has successfully done everything possible to ensure that the new BRICS members have organically joined the association family, Putin added.

"I can state with satisfaction that all of them [new participants] take an active part in working forums, put forward useful and promising ideas and initiatives. As for the Kazan summit itself, delegations of 35 states and 6 international organizations took part in it, as you already know," Putin said.

Positions of BRICS and Russia on Conflict in Middle East

Participants of the BRICS Summit discussed key international issues, with a focus on the situation in the Middle East, the Russian president said.

"We [BRICS Summit participants] exchanged views on key international issues with a focus on the aggravated situation in the Middle East. We also looked at the prospects of interaction between the BRICS members, countries of the global South and East in the interests of sustainable development," he said.

Furthermore, Russia is not interested in further escalation of the Middle East conflict, as it will gain nothing from it strategically, Putin stated.

"No matter what anyone says, Russia is not interested in an aggravation of the conflict in the Middle East. Strategically speaking, we will gain nothing from this. We will just see more problems," the Russian head of state said.

Putin argued that no one in the Middle East was interested in the matters taking a turn for the worse.

"In fact, no one in the region — my conversations on the sidelines of the BRICS summit show — that no one in the region wants the conflict to expand into a large-scale war. No one," Putin said.

Putin called for a closer engagement with all stakeholders in the Middle East, including Israel, to avoid further escalation. Russia, too, wants to work together with participants of the Middle East peace process to address the root cause of the conflict, he added.

Putin Criticizes Western Policies, NATO Expansion, and Financial Dominance

During his speech, Putin has condemned NATO's expansion, asserting that it violates international security norms. He stressed that the West shows little regard for international law, particularly in its support of Ukraine.

The president also criticized Germany’s reluctance to use the remaining branch of the Nord Stream pipeline for gas supplies, pointing out that while the West rejected Russian energy resources, Russia has not refused to supply them.

Furthermore, Putin accused the West of abusing its exclusive position in global finance, stating that leading economies have recklessly printed money, contributing to inflation worldwide.

He also warned that Western powers are attempting to perpetuate neocolonialism in Africa, furthering their control over global economic and political systems.

The Russian leader pointed to the use of the climate agenda and the demand to abandon nuclear energy, coal, and hydrocarbons.

According to Putin, the US, and many European countries have been abusing the environmental agenda.

"Has anyone calculated whether Africa can do without these types of hydrocarbons or not? No, they are being imposed on — African countries and some other developing market countries — modern, yes, perhaps effective in terms of environmental preservation, tools and technologies," Putin explained.