Russia Hosts BRICS Summit in Defiance of West

Russian president Vladimir Putin welcomed representatives of 30 countries for a summit that began Tuesday.

The Details: World leaders and representatives gathered in the Russian city of Kazan for the BRICS Summit, which expanded beyond its fivefold membership earlier this year with the additions of Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the UAE. Topics included economic cooperation and the group's potential further expansion. Most, but not all, media around the world agreed that the summit represented a significant challenge to the global hegemony of "Western" ideology and a rebuke of America's desire for Russia to be an international "pariah" for invading Ukraine.

Non-Russian Media: Reuters (Center bias) reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin at the summit that "he wanted peace in Ukraine and that New Delhi was ready to help achieve a truce to end" the Ukraine War. New York Times (Lean Left) said the group was "seeking to avoid sanctions" and mentioned that Putin "cannot travel freely abroad because of a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court." It included quotes that cast the summit as "more show than substance."

Russian Media: RT (Lean Right), which the U.S. says coordinates with and is funded by the Kremlin, quoted Russian officials emphasizing that BRICS is built not on hard rules but around "common values and common guidelines." It added, "The group now collectively represents an estimated 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP."