Russia on Tuesday said it was hopeful that BRICS member states would reach a consensus declaration at the grouping’s upcoming New Delhi summit, overcoming differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia crisis.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, speaking to Indian journalists, also said that the summit will focus on deepening cooperation across politics and security, economy and finance, and new technologies. He added that the grouping demonstrates what a fair and multipolar world order looks like.
Peskov noted that Russia now conducts 90 per cent of its financial transactions with BRICS partners, including India, in national currencies, asserting that the bloc is not pursuing an explicit de-dollarisation policy to challenge the US dollar.
“Use of national currencies is not a de-dollarisation policy. We’re simply doing what is better for national interests,” Peskov said, adding that the currency shift by BRICS is largely driven by Western pressure and it is not a deliberate move to abandon the dollar.
“If they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money,” he said, alleging that certain countries are using national currencies as a tool for political pressure.
Peskov said Russia highly appreciates the results of the Indian chairship of BRICS and that the summit will be a “crown” reflecting New Delhi’s success in helming the grouping.
As the current chair of the influential grouping, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the top leaders attending the summit.
India has been trying very hard to build consensus on the declaration in view of sharp differences between the UAE and Iran on the West Asia conflict. As BRICS operates under a framework of consensus, there have been apprehensions about whether the grouping will be able to issue the declaration at the end of the summit.
“Understandably, there are contradictions in their (Iran and UAE) positions,” Peskov said, acknowledging problems facing the negotiators.
“We sincerely wish those countries who are good friends of Russia to overcome this very hard period. Russia is ready to contribute, if it is necessary, towards normalisation of ties (between UAE and Iran),” he added.
Peskov said Russia is hopeful that a positive outcome will come out of ongoing negotiations on the declaration as India has some “very talented” diplomats.
“We have no doubts that necessary phrases will be found in order to satisfy national interests of both the countries concerned,” he added.
“We stand for security in the region. We stand for mutual trust,” he noted.
A meeting of the foreign ministers of the grouping’s member states in May had ended without a joint statement as sharp differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict were on full display.
At the end of the foreign ministerial meeting, India had issued a chair’s statement and outcome document featuring two specific paragraphs where unanimity could not be reached.
Peskov said Russia and India are on the same page in rejecting claims that BRICS is anti-West.
The grouping is “not against any third party,” he said.
“Russia highly values India’s chairmanship in BRICS, confident that the upcoming summit will be successful,” he noted.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.
BRICS emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
(PTI)
