Russia is dead weight for BRICS - Ukraine slams Putin’s latest delusions
Photo: Vladimir Putin, Russian leader (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin made more false claims during his speech at the BRICS summit. He talked about an "economic advantage" of BRICS over the G7, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Kovalenko reminded that Putin did not attend the BRICS summit in Brazil because he feared arrest. Meanwhile, Chinese leader Xi Jinping "didn’t even pretend to be interested," he said. The spotlight remained on Brazil’s pro-Western President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin addressed the summit via video link, promoting his usual narratives about the "collapse of liberal globalization" and the economic superiority of BRICS over the G7.
"But the truth is, in terms of nominal GDP, BRICS countries lag more than twice behind the G7. And more than 60% of the BRICS economy is just one country — China. Russia, in this coalition, is nothing more than dead weight," Kovalenko pointed out.
He also stressed that BRICS has not turned into an "anti-Western axis", nor has Russia become a leader of the Global South. Instead, Moscow remains a raw material appendage to Beijing, which continues to bargain with the West for a favorable balance.
Notably, the BRICS summit is taking place in Brazil on July 6–7.
Trump’s threats
Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned he could impose additional tariffs on countries that support BRICS policies.
The bloc’s member states had previously criticized unilateral tariff measures, calling them trade-distorting.
