Maihold said the anti-West stance of BRICS has worried observers in Europe.
“You cannot get rid of the impression that the BRICS bloc has become an echo chamber for Putin. And these countries are becoming sanctuaries for many other countries to protect themselves from sanctions or consequences of sanctions,” he said. “
BRICS countries have not participated in punitive measures imposed on Moscow by Western countries since the beginning of Russia’s aggression in February 2022.
As a result, China, Brazil and India are among the biggest buyers of cheap Russian oil. However, in addition to benefiting from cheaper energy prices, developing and middle-income countries have been particularly affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
“There is a clear interest in Russia not to boycott or reduce the food supply. The same, of course, applies to fertilizer,” Melhold said.
As such, he said, a kind of undeclared Russia agenda will dominate the Johannesburg summit.
“On the one hand, they will seek rules to mitigate the consequences for BRICS countries hit by the impact of sanctions,” he added.
“On the other hand, they don’t want to take sides and get more involved in the conflict. That’s what makes it so difficult.”