Russian President Vladimir Putin has championed BRICS to defy the West’s sanctions imposed following his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but he arrives at the bloc’s meeting under pressure from several members to halt the conflict. More than 20 chiefs of state will gather in Kazan, Russia, for the developing economies conference, which begins Tuesday. The BRICS abbreviation includes the initial letters of the group’s founding members, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, as well as South Africa, which joined the organization the following year, in 2009. Member nations’ trade relations with Moscow have become stronger as a result of Putin’s war. Russia still has the BRICS presidency, which it may demonstrate during its 16th summit.

Two Russian sources told Reuters that there is growing chatter in Moscow about a possible cease-fire. However, the agency stated that nothing had been finalized and that the Kremlin was awaiting the conclusion of the presidential election in the United States, where Republican candidate Donald Trump has thrown doubt on Washington’s continued support for Kyiv. “BRICS has it within its power to bring pressure to bear on Russia to engage in serious negotiations to end the war,” said Chris Alden, Director of thtp

Any such pressure will be applied behind the scenes, rather than in public, he stated. “China’s role in this regard is going to be key, as the country providing Russia with the most consequential economic and financial support, as well as recently disclosed military support.” According to Aurélien Colson, a political science professor and academic co-director of the ESSEC Centre for Geopolitics & Business, BRICS members do not share a common perspective on the Ukraine conflict. “China is obviously benefiting from the ongoing war of aggression waged by Russia—it is trading dual use components in exchange for commodities at a cheap rate,” according to Colson.

Furthermore, Moscow’s focus is shifting away from its eastern borders, which Beijing will increasingly see as its own economic backyard,” he said. During a visit to Moscow on Monday, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan informed Putin that he was ready to support efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. This year, the UAE, Iran, Ethiopia, and Egypt joined BRICS as new members. The UAE is one of the bloc members who spoke out against Russia’s incursion at the United Nations General Assembly.

Based on purchasing power parity, the BRICS countries account for 45 percent of the world’s population and more than one-third (35 percent) of its economy. Just as Putin wants the BRICS conference to highlight the non-Western world’s growing clout, some so-called “friendly” countries to Moscow may wish to see the conflict end. In March 2024, Brazil and China made a unified plan for peace talks intended at de-escalating the conflict, increasing humanitarian aid, condemning weapons of mass destruction, and proposing an international peace conference recognized by both parties.

According to Cédomir Nestorovic, a geopolitics professor and academic co-director of the ESSEC Centre for Geopolitics & Business, China is the only BRICS country with the ability to exert pressure on Russia over the war. “Theoretically, China can present a plan acceptable by the two parties,” Newsweek quoted him as saying. “It did, but the parties refused to accept it, so I doubt it can be used diplomatically. It could use economic pressure to stop buying and selling to Russia, but it will not. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the crisis in Ukraine is not on the agenda for this week’s Kazan meeting, but participants may “raise this issue at their discretion.”

Meanwhile, polling performed within Russia indicates that many Russians disagree with Putin’s war goals in Ukraine. A survey of 800 people conducted by independent polling group Chronicles between September 10 and 17 indicated that even among those who support Putin, a majority (61 percent) prefer a peace treaty with Ukraine that includes reciprocal concessions. The poll also indicated that only 14 percent of respondents supported Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy, which included the war in Ukraine and his anti-Western rhetoric. The majority (83%) preferred the Russian government to focus on domestic, social and economic reforms