BRICS Summit Highlights Tensions and Symbolic Gestures Amid Global Challenges

Despite internal divisions and geopolitical tensions, BRICS leaders gather in Russia to discuss economic alternatives and global stability.

The BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, serves primarily as a symbolic event, with limited substantive achievements expected, according to economist Jim O'Neill.
China and India, crucial BRICS members, held their first formal talks in five years, signaling a tentative thaw in relations after a long-standing border conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin uses the summit to demonstrate Russia's international ties and counter Western isolation efforts, despite ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres faces criticism for attending the summit, perceived as bolstering Putin's regime amid an ICC warrant for war crimes.
BRICS aims to challenge Western economic dominance but struggles with internal cohesion and reliance on trade with the U.S., limiting its impact as an alternative global force.