Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference on Thursday (December 19), where he addressed both national and international media. For the second consecutive year, the event was combined with the “Direct Line” programme, allowing ordinary Russians to send in over 1.5 million questions.
During the conference, Putin agreed with India’s perspective on BRICS, describing it as a “non-Western” group. He said that BRICS does not work against any country but instead focuses on the interests of its member nations.
Citing Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that “BRICS isn’t anti-Western. It’s just not Western,” Putin called the statement “the best” and added that the group has no negative agenda.
Speaking about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin mentioned that he enjoys warm relations with the leader, reflecting the strong ties between Russia and India.
Jaishankar’s statement, which Putin referred to, was made during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on 17 February 2024. The panel included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
When asked about India’s ability to maintain relationships with diverse partners such as the US, Europe, and Russia, Jaishankar rejected the notion that BRICS, dominated by Beijing and Moscow, was “anti-Western”.
“I think it’s important today to make a distinction between being ‘non-West’ and ‘anti-West’,” Jaishankar said. He added, “I’d not only characterise India as a country that is non-West but one which has extremely strong relations with Western countries, getting better by the day.” He also added that this characterisation might not apply equally to other BRICS members.
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Jaishankar also addressed how India balances its relationship with Washington while continuing trade with Moscow. He said that India’s foreign policy is not purely transactional, saying, “We get along with people, we believe in things, we share things…but there are times when you are located in different places, different levels of development, different experiences, all of that gets.”
Jaishankar concluded by saying that good partners offer choices, and smart partners take advantage of those choices.
(With inputs from agencies)