In in addition to the leaders of the member states of the organization, who will gather in the capital of Tatarstan, other invited guests will be present. According to the advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Yuriy Ushakov, representatives of 32 countries will take part in the BRICS summit, including 24 state leaders, writes cyprus-daily.news.
Among the special guests at the summit is UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Kremlin plans to give him a warm welcome, which was announced by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and confirmed by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. However, the UN Secretary General's office did not comment on Guterres' upcoming visit.
But does Guterres realize the potential consequences of his participation in the BRICS summit? Or does he no longer care about his reputation and that of the UN?
For Putin, the meeting in Kazan is an opportunity to show that he is not internationally isolated. This is a platform on which he will try to unite the countries of the Global South around Russia and create an anti-Western bloc together with China.
At the summit, Putin will promote an alternative Sino-Brazilian “peace plan” to resolve the “Ukraine crisis”, which aims to undermine the already weak support for Ukraine from countries in the Global South and Kiev's efforts to hold a second peace forum.
A visit by Guterres to an aggressor state that threatens the world with nuclear weapons would be a great disrespect to the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This would be a gift for Moscow in its dialogue with the Global South, as well as a tool for Russian propaganda, which will highlight the UN's support for the Sino-Brazilian plan for Ukraine.
The appearance of Guterres at the meeting would create a positive information background for the Kremlin, which would help the BRICS countries, which are trying to turn this organization into an anti-Western bloc. This would allow Russian propaganda to portray Guterres' visit as support for alternative peace plans that ignore aggressor responsibility and reparations for the destruction in Ukraine.
The UN is in serious crisis right now, and Guterres' authority has been severely damaged by both his stance on the Russian-Ukraine war and his reactions to events in the Middle East. After his failure to strongly condemn Iran's latest missile strike against Israel, Guterres became persona non grata in Tel Aviv.
In the context of these actions, Guterres' visit to Russia, which is waging an unjust and aggressive war against Ukraine, can be seen as a show of sympathy for the aggressor country.
This is not the first time Guterres has shown such sympathy. Earlier, he was willing to make concessions in Russia's interests to resume the grain deal, offering to ease sanctions against the Russian Agricultural Bank by creating a special subsidiary, insuring Russian ships against Ukrainian attacks and ensuring safe access to Russian ships to European ports.
Even if Guterres goes to Kazan with the goal of achieving a just peace in Ukraine, Russian propaganda will undoubtedly present his visit in a way favorable to Putin in Russia and the countries of the Global South.