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Building blocks: On the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan

The BRICS Summit showed that Russia was not without friends

Russia’s hosting of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan had several messages, watched closely by
particularly the western countries. This was the biggest such conference in Russia since the Ukraine
war began in 2022. With leaders of nine countries (and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister) arriving as
BRICS and BRICS partner countries, and about 30 leaders of the Global South attending a special BRICS
outreach conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin dispelled any notion that Russia had been
“isolated” due to Ukraine. The summit agenda and the Kazan Declaration sent a concerted message
on strengthening economic bonds within the group that together represents a third of global GDP, in
a signal that unilateral sanctions against members — Russia and Iran, for instance — are not
acceptable to all. Among the agreements, the push for an interbank cooperation mechanism, a grain
exchange, a cross-border payment system and insurance company, and growth of the BRICS New
Development Bank, indicate the intent to seek alternatives to the prevailing international governance
structures. The induction of members, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, is another sign
that the counter-balancing arrangement of emerging economies that BRICS was envisaged as, cannot
be mocked. While many BRICS countries have strong ties with the U.S. and Europe, it is clear that they
feel that the present institutions of global governance are skewed unfairly towards the “old guard” of
the West.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement at the closed plenary sought to allay some concerns
about this challenge, describing BRICS as an inclusive, “not a divisive organisation but one that works
in the interest of humanity”. Given that India is the only member of BRICS that is also a part of U.S.-
led arrangements (the Quad and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework), this is a necessary balance.
His oft-repeated phrases, that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy, not war”, and that there are
“no solutions on the battlefield”, were a necessary reminder that all members do not completely
align on geopolitics. It was significant in this context that India backed the strong paragraphs in the
Declaration on Israel in Gaza and support for the state of Palestine. Apart from the substance of the
summit, the BRICS grouping also affords its members a stage to discuss thorny bilateral issues, given
differences between members, including Iran-UAE and Egypt-Ethiopia. The détentes between India
and China over Doklam, and agreement on resolving the four-year LAC standoff, were both held in
meetings between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the side-lines of BRICS summits.

 Red/blue coloring of words in the sentence indicates subject verb relationship; where ‘red’
denotes ‘subject’ and ‘blue’ denotes ‘verb’. [Practice Exercise]

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Vocabulary
1. Building blocks (phrase) – Foundational 12. Unilateral (adjective) – One-sided,
elements, core components, basic parts independent, solo, single-handed,
घटक autonomous क

2. BRICS (noun) – An international 13. Sanction (noun) – Penalty, restriction,

association of Brazil, Russia, India, China, embargo, ban, prohibition
and South Africa
14. For instance (phrase) – For example, as an
3. Summit (noun) – Meeting, conference, illustration, such as, to illustrate, as an
assembly, gathering, forum example क

4. Hosting (noun) – Arranging, organizing, 15. Push (for) (noun) – Drive, effort, initiative,
managing, staging, conducting campaign, attempt

5. Outreach (noun) – Engagement, 16. Interbank (adjective) – Relating to

connection, interaction, support, extension transactions between banks अ क
क
17. Mechanism (noun) – System, process,
6. Dispel (verb) – Eliminate, dismiss, remove, structure, method, means
get rid of, dissipate क
18. Cross-border (adjective) – International,
7. Notion (noun) – Idea, concept, belief, view, transnational, inter-country, interregional,
perception global

8. Isolated (adjective) – Separated, detached, 19. Intent (noun) – Purpose, aim, goal,
alone, unconnected, remote अ ग-थ ग objective, ambition

9. Agenda (noun) – Plan, program, schedule, 20. Seek (verb) – Pursue, search for, look for,
outline, objective क endeavor, strive

10. Concerted (adjective) – Coordinated, 21. Prevailing (adjective) – Dominant, current,

united, joint, collective, collaborative existing, widespread, prevalent

22. Governance (noun) – Administration,

11. Strengthen (verb) – Reinforce, solidify, management, control, regulation,
fortify, enhance, build up क oversight

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23. Arrangement (noun) – Plan, setup, system, 35. Oft-repeated (adjective) – Frequently
structure, organization mentioned, reiterated, recurring, recurring
frequently अ ग
24. Economies (noun) – Countries in terms of
GDP अथ थ 36. Dialogue (noun) – Discussion,
conversation, exchange, talk, debate
25. Envisage (verb) – Anticipate, imagine,
foresee, predict, expect क क 37. Diplomacy (noun) – Negotiation, tact,
international relations, foreign policy,
26. Mock (verb) – Ridicule, scorn, deride, make mediation कट
fun of, imitate क
38. Battlefield (noun) – Combat zone, area of
27. Ties (noun) – Connections, bonds, conflict, war zone, front line, ground
relations, affiliations, associations

28. Skew (verb) – a bias towards one particular 39. Align (verb) – Cooperate, coordinate,
group or subject. क adjust, match, harmonize क

29. Plenary (noun) – Meeting, session, 40. Geopolitics (noun) – International

plenum, general assembly, अ relations, world politics, global affairs,
foreign policy
30. Allay (verb) – Reduce, alleviate, ease, calm,
diminish क क 41. Back (verb) – Support, endorse, uphold,
favor, advocate थ क
31. Inclusive (adjective) – Comprehensive, all-
encompassing, embracing, universal, 42. Substance (noun) – Content, essence,
encompassing core, matter, material

32. Divisive (adjective) – Disruptive, 43. Thorny (adjective) – Difficult, complex,

contentious, conflicting, polarizing, challenging, tricky, problematic क
discordant क
44. Bilateral (adjective) – Involving two
33. Given (preposition) – Considering, in view parties, two-sided, mutual, reciprocal
of, taking into account, regarding, in light
of
45. Differences (noun) – Variations,
34. QUAD (noun) – An international security distinctions, dissimilarities, disagreements,
partnership of the U.S., India, Japan, and divergences
Australia

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46. Détente (noun) – an improvement in the 48. Standoff (noun) – Deadlock, impasse,
relationship between two or more stalemate, confrontation, gridlock ग
countries which have been unfriendly
towards each other in the past 49. On the side-lines of (phrase) – At the same
time or in addition to something else,
अ क क -
especially something more important,
often referring to a meeting or event that
47. Resolve (verb) – Settle, solve, decide,
is not the main focus. क क
determine, conclude

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Summary of the Editorial

1. Russia hosted the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, sending a clear message to the world,
especially the West, that it still has allies despite the Ukraine conflict.
2. This was the largest international conference in Russia since the start of the Ukraine war in
2022.
3. Leaders from nine countries, including Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, and 30 Global South
leaders attended, showing Russia’s continued global connections.
4. Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrated that Russia isn’t “isolated” on the world
stage, as some have claimed.
5. The summit's agenda and the Kazan Declaration focused on strengthening economic bonds
within BRICS.
6. BRICS members collectively represent a third of global GDP, underscoring the group’s
economic weight.
7. The group signaled that unilateral sanctions against members, like Russia and Iran, are not
universally supported.
8. The summit introduced plans for an interbank cooperation mechanism, a grain exchange,
and a cross-border payment system.
9. BRICS also pushed for the expansion of the BRICS New Development Bank, showing a
desire to find alternatives to Western-dominated structures.
10. New members like Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia underscore BRICS’s
growth and balance of power among emerging economies.
11. Many BRICS members have close ties with the U.S. and Europe but feel that current global
institutions favor the West too heavily.
12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement emphasized BRICS’s inclusive and non-divisive
nature, aiming to ease concerns about BRICS challenging Western dominance.
13. Modi reiterated India’s stance on diplomacy over warfare, highlighting BRICS members’
differing geopolitical views.
14. India supported strong paragraphs in the Declaration on Gaza, underscoring support for
the Palestinian state.
15. The BRICS summit provided a platform for discussions on sensitive bilateral issues,
including India-China relations, showcasing BRICS as a space for conflict resolution.

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