🌍🌍🌍 'Instead of losing friends, Moscow has made them' - world media

The undeniable success of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan was hailed by the world's media - here are the most striking quotes:

🔹 China Daily: "The BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, this week is a pivotal event that holds immense promise for the future of developing countries."

🔹 Die Welt: "BRICS are no longer the emerging countries of the South, but major powers with a vision for even greater things. <...> It is Putin's attempt at the ultimate demonstration of power, and the Secretary General of the world body is willingly supporting him."

🔹 Bloomberg: "The world economy is set to rely even more heavily on the BRICS group of emerging economies to drive expansion, rather than their wealthier Western peers, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest forecasts."

🔹 Indian Express: "For Putin, the summit is important personally because it shows the failure of Western efforts to isolate him."

🔹 Haber Global: "In the multipolar world, all roads do not lead to just Washington, Brussels, London and Paris. Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing and Cape Town are the new game-changing capitals."

🔹 IRNA: "Implementation of what was decided at the BRICS summit, the plots of the US and its partner countries will be neutralized over time."

🔹 Sky News: "A lot of countries in the Global South are really tone deaf to rhetoric about Russia breaking the rules. . <...>. The West's efforts to isolate Russia have not worked. Instead of losing friends, Moscow has made them."

#BRICS2024

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💬 Putin on Turkish proposals on Ukrainian conflict: 'Any agreement must respect Russian interests'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had "always operated on the principle that any agreement must respect Russian interest," and "time is needed to carefully look" into the Turkish proposals.

He also stressed that Ukrainian side several times had declared themselves "not ready" to further negotiations a day later after agreements to continue discussions and this time "what has to be determined is whether they're ready or not... what specifically they're ready for."

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💬 Ex-Pentagon analyst: Putin works on world order alternative to Western hegemony

The appearance of “representatives from half the population of the world” at the BRICS Summit in Kazan this week highlighted the fact that “Russia is not isolated,” Michael Maloof, former DoD senior security policy analyst, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the summit.

“The fact that even UN Secretary General [Antonio] Guterres is here, signifies the importance and significance that the BRICS is holding,” he noted.

“But the fact that this has happened under Mr. Putin, shows that he's very much in charge of trying to come up with an alternative world order in response to the sanctions and the hegemony of the United States and the West, to try and isolate not only Russia, but China, Iran, and also to try and bolster the developing countries,” Maloof added.

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Zelensky refuses to meet UN Secretary General in Ukraine after his trip to BRICS summit - French media

Volodymyr Zelensky denied the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to Ukraine because of his attendance at the BRICS summit in Russia's Kazan, French media reported Friday.

"After Kazan, [Guterres] wanted to come to Ukraine, but [Zelensky] has not confirmed his visit," because of the "humiliation" inflicted on international law in Kazan, an official told the media.

Guterres arrived in Russia to participate in the summit of the BRICS heads of state. He also held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was the first visit of the UN Secretary General to Russia Guterres since 2022.

Prior to that, Guterres refused to travel to a conference on Ukraine held in Switzerland in June. The Ukrainian ministry called Guterres' choice "wrong", "not contributing to the cause of peace" and "undermining the reputation of the UN."

As the Western media have already noted: "Instead of losing friends, Moscow has made them."

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How BRICS could add to UN’s fully-fledged reform

The UN Security Council (UNSC) should be expanded to reflect “the vastly different world of today,” otherwise “it risks losing credibility and relevance… in the next ten to twenty years,” Robinder Sachdev, geopolitical and economic diplomacy analyst and founder president of the Imagindia Institute, told Sputnik as he commented on BRICS’ Kazan Declaration, in which member states reaffirmed their support for comprehensive reform of the UN, including the Security Council.

He added that BRICS, for its part, can contribute to transforming the UN “through a two-track parallel strategy”, which includes “long-term pressure for reform” and “near-term actionable strategies.”

In particular, BRICS “can leverage its collective influence, making it clear that the UN’s failure to reform could lead to the rise of alternative multilateral organizations. This signals that the UN’s relevance is at risk if emerging powers remain excluded from decision-making,” Sachdev emphasized.

“BRICS can push for reforms on specific issues like expanding the UNSC with co-equal rights for new members, or enhancing the role of the Global South in development programs, or a solution to a civil war and humanitarian crisis in some region in the world, building momentum for broader changes,” he concluded.

In a recent interview with Sputnik, Eduardo Paes Saboia, the secretary of Asia and the Pacific at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, said that with multilateralism now “in crisis,” the hope is that BRICS “will help call for a reform of multilateral institutions and a stronger role for the UN in the international system.”

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George Galloway stands up to Sky News journalist obsessed with Ukrainian agenda 

At the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan, member of the British Parliament, George Galloway, was bumped into by a Sky News journalist who tried to make parliamentarian speak about Ukraine, not the summit. 

🎤Ukraine might see this very differently, of course. You say influence the lives of people. Russia's influence in the lives of people. 

▪️Because you're Sky News, that's what you have to ask. But you and our governments, the governments of the West, are fully responsible for the crisis in Ukraine. Russia's not responsible... Listen, I'm here to talk about the BRICS.

🎤Are you supportive of the war in Ukraine?

▪️I have extensively written, spoken in parliament, out of parliament, on the crisis in Ukraine. You’re welcome to consult it.

🎤 Are you supportive or not?

"Why don't we talk about the genocide in Gaza? Why don't we talk about the illegal bombardment of Lebanon? Why don't we talk about mass starvation? Why don't we talk about the ethnic cleansing on a scale not seen since the Second World War? Why do you have to talk about it in relation to Ukraine? I'll tell you why. You came here with a cheap agenda to attack Russia," Galloway concluded.

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If you don't go out to earn your living, you're not working — UK Prime Minister 

British landlords and shareholders will face tax hike at next week's Budget as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn't regard them as "working people", Daily Mail reports.

The newspaper added that the chancellor is expected to introduce the largest tax increase in the last three decades, which will raise an additional $35 billion to raise the burden on Britons to an all-time high. Meanwhile, Starmer came under pressure to clarify what a "working person" is after Labour's manifesto stated that they would be protected from wage increases.

A working person is someone who '"goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly cheque" but they can't "write a cheque to get out of difficulties", Starmer told Sky News, adding that people who get all or part of their income from assets do not come within his definition.

According to rumors, a $35 billion tax increase could be the most significant budget increase since 1993, Daily Mail concluded.

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West considers BRICS a ‘threat to their position in the world’

This week's BRICS Summit in Kazan has “electrified” and “really grabbed the attention of the world” while the West apparently regards the gathering as a “threat,” retired US security policy analyst Michael Maloof told Sputnik on the sidelines of the summit.

“The fact that the West is so critical of it, I think, demonstrates that they feel, what they probably would perceive as a threat to their position in the world,” he said. Meanwhile, we seem to be witnessing a “fragmentation” in the EU and in the NATO, sparked by Europe’s decision to cripple its own standard of living and to cut off their energy supply from Russia by supporting the Ukrainian conflict.

“Their industries are faltering. And we're probably going to have another cold winter coming here very shortly. And that's going to have an impact on Europe and its perspective on how to go forward and whether they really still want to follow the United States’ lead either, particularly in the NATO structure,” he remarked.

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Gazan boy: God willing, the war will end and we will return to our homes

“Our escape was difficult. We were walking and walking. At first, it was very hard; people couldn’t get used to such distances. Then we got used to walking a lot,” Palestinian boy Yazan Ibrahim shared his experience of being exiled from home by war with Sputnik.

People have to find a shelter in a half-ruined school in the al Zuwaidah neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip.

Displacement takes the hardest toll on children who are first to suffer mentally and physically, seeing their dreams shattered and close ones killed or abused.

“The hardest moment was when the army took one of our relatives from the Abu Oweis family captive. They took him, and we screamed and cried,” he added.

Despite the horrors unleashed on Gaza, he hopes for a better future.

“God willing, the war will end, and we will return to our homes and rebuild everything from scratch," Yazan Ibrahim said.

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BRICS members have ‘tremendous resources for tangibles’ to back up possible future currency

Efforts by BRICS members to find an alternative to the US dollar may result in the creation of a new currency, former DoD senior security policy analyst Michael Maloof told Sputnik on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

“If you look at the [BRICS] membership, it's mostly countries that offer tremendous resources for tangibles to back up their currencies. The dollar, on the other hand, is backed by fiat. It's really not backed by anything,” he observed.

While the United States has long been relying on “an agreement that all oil production and oil trade in the world would be in dollars,” that status quo could not last forever.

“Now, these countries are increasingly exchanging and buying oil and gas using their own currencies. And that's going to pick up over time. And this may or may not lead to an eventual BRICS currency, like the euro or the dollar itself,” he explained.

#BRICS2024

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📹 Major Western media outlet admits US sanction strategy failed

One of the biggest news magazines - 60 Minutes - has published a teaser of the upcoming talk show, pointing out that "despite thousands of economic sanctions, Russia's wartime economy is expected to grow."

Despite sanctions being in full swing and the US trying to impose more, Russia's economy keeps flourishing, which proves restrictions don't really work out.

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US unable to operate modified B-52s before 2033

The newest B-52J variant of the US B-52 Stratofortress strategic aircraft won’t be complete until 2033, The National Interest reports.

The modernization plan that would involve installing new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, enhanced Raytheon navigation systems and several other improvements was heavily criticized by the Government Accountability Office, which stated that the program failed to develop “formal cost or schedule estimates”, the National Security Journal reported earlier.

Another issue the whole B-52 series faced, is the disruption of global supply chains, which forced US authorities to cannibalize parts from B-52s to keep others airworthy. Such cannibalization rates have grown 200% since 2019, the DefenseNews portal wrote.

The B-52 bombers – one of three pillars of US nuclear triad – were first deployed 60 years ago, but the number of operable units has since dropped to less than 80.

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❗️Russian President Vladimir Putin's key statements on the situation in Russia's Kursk region at the meeting of permanent members of the Russian Security Council:

▪️Russian soldiers reliably repel all Ukraine's counteroffensives in the Kursk region;

▪️Ukrainian commanders try to conceal their encirclement in Kursk region from soldiers, but this does not change the situation;

▪️Putin says some Ukrainian forces have surrendered in the Kursk region, Russian military takes prisoners and guarantees life and safety;

▪️Ukrainian troop management, according to captives, is disrupted inside the enclave in the Kursk region, where panic is growing;

▪️The Russian Army in the Kursk region creates ring of encirclement of Ukraine's forces and is beginning to eliminate groups of forces.

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'My home, my toys, all are destroyed’ – Palestinian boy recalls fleeing from war in Gaza

“We lived in safety before the war. And now, after eight months, when you haven’t seen your home for so long, you return to it, and it’s in ruins — my home, my toys, all are destroyed," Palestinian boy Musa Arafat shared his story with Sputnik.

UNICEF reported that during last year, over 14,000 children were killed on the fields of the war in Gaza while many more would likely have to deal with severe PTSD.

“We used to walk on the streets, there were streetlights. We feared nothing. But now, it’s scary, it has become scary to go outside — there’s no light, the streets are empty, and houses are destroyed everywhere," Arafat said, adding that he hopes his family will be able to “live normally and fulfill our dreams" one day.

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❗️Putin's key statements on gas supplies to Europe at the meeting of permanent members of the Russian Security Council:

▪️A new contract will have to be signed to continue Russian gas supplies to Europe, but the necessary capacity is still not booked;

▪️Russia does not refuse to supply gas through Ukraine;

▪️Ukraine is not taking measures to extend the contract for Russian gas supplies to Europe, which will expire this year;

▪️Russia not denying Europe gas supplies, there are several routes to get it.

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📹 Russian drone thwarts Ukrainian tank's attempt to break into settlement on Kursk region border.

Video by Russian Ministry of Defense

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Global finance game-changer: Find out what BRICS Bridge, Clear, and Pay systems have to offer

The Kazan Declaration from the 2024 BRICS Summit announced the rollout of the BRICS Clear settlement and depository infrastructure, as the group simultaneously hammers out the BRICS Bridge and BRICS Pay platforms. What are the objectives of these systems?

BRICS Bridge

According to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, BRICS Bridge is a unified payment system currently under development, though it cannot be classified as a direct alternative to SWIFT.

“This system will enable us to replace traditional banking organizations while simultaneously facilitating a mechanism for transmitting financial messages,” Siluanov explained.

▪️The BRICS Bridge will be built on innovative formats and approaches that consider the integration of digital financial assets.

BRICS Clear

▪️Under the Kazan Declaration, BRICS countries will work to create their own independent depository system, BRICS Clear, which is to complement the existing financial infrastructure and will be regulated by relevant departments from the group’s member states.

Siluanov earlier stated that BRICS Clear would operate on the basis of distributed ledger-related technologies. According to him, the system is needed for accounting and trading of securities, as well as for investment activity. BRICS Clear will only be available to the group’s members.

BRICS Pay

▪️BRICS Pay, a cashless payment service for foreign nationals (including those from non-member states), is expected to launch in Russia by the end of this year, according to BRICS spokesman Andrey Mikhailishin. In 2025, the service may also extend to Russian tourists visiting Turkiye, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

This service will facilitate payments using Mastercard and Visa cards within Russia, while the Mir card will soon be accepted for payments abroad.

▪️The BRICS Pay app is anticipated to be available for download on the App Store and Google Play shortly; in the meantime, users can add the app's website to their smartphone screens using the Safari browser.

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▪️How BRICS could add to UN’s fully-fledged reform

▪️Palestinian boys shares experience of fleeing shelling in Jabalia on foot

▪️Global finance game-changer: Find out what BRICS Bridge, Clear, and Pay systems have to offer

▪️'Instead of losing friends, Moscow has made them' - world media

▪️Why does West consider BRICS a ‘threat to their position in the world’

▪️BRICS banknote: ‘All big deals began with symbols’

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‘The soul longs for home’ – Palestinian girl talks about living in refugee camp

“We were told that we needed to leave [our homes] urgently, and we only had an hour to pack. The strikes began. We were walking while explosions were thundering around us. We were moving from house to house while bombs were falling everywhere. It was very hard to walk. Explosions were booming right behind us and many people were killed or injured," Hala Abu Taimah shared her experience of fleeing from war with Sputnik.

According to the UN, nine out of ten displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live in overcrowded camps, while a total of 1.9 million out of 2.4 million Gazans have left their homes.

“Of course, we want the war to end. It’s already been a year, but nothing has ended. Before the war, I read and filmed videos. The soul longs for home," Abu Taimah said.

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Plans for new pan-European intelligence agency highlight efforts to federalize the EU

EC chief Ursula von der Leyen’s call to create a new united intelligence body for the EU is a product of the EU institutions seeking to strengthen the union’s “federal aspect,” says former Swedish Air Defense officer Mikael Valtersson.

“Their long-term goals are to turn the EU into a federal state like the USA,” Valtersson tells Sputnik, referring to the EU institutions. “There are both federalist and antifederalist forces fighting about the future of the EU within the organization. Those that want a more federal EU use every pretext they can find to strengthen and create new federal institutions.”

According to him, efforts to further the federalization of the EU are usually conducted under the pretext of some alleged external threats, usually associated with China or Russia.

The opinions on von der Leyen’s scheme vary, with the bloc’s members that are “at odds with both the central EU institutions” not being too thrilled by her proposal, Valtersson suggests.

“Presently this mainly concerns Hungary and Slovakia, but several other countries might soon also be governed by like-minded governments. These countries want to diminish the federal aspect of the EU, both are also often in open conflict with the EU,” he elaborates. “Sharing sensitive intelligence with a European intelligence agency, seen as a potential enemy of your own country, could nearly be as bad as sharing intelligence with an enemy in a real conflict.”

The EU institutions’ bureaucratism and slow reaction time also makes “other more pro federal countries hesitant to become subservient to a federal intelligence agency,” he adds.

“In the case of an unlikely, but successful establishment of a European intelligence agency, such an entity would also in the long run, become a powerful competitor to US intelligence agencies. Nothing that the US would appreciate. The US establishment prefers a divided and subservient Europe that follows the US lead,” Valtersson says.

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📹 Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent and memorable statements at the 16th BRICS Summit which took place in Kazan this week!

#BRICS2024

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