Regarding Ukraine’s long-running conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted invitations to intervene as a mediator. 

The gathering, held in Kazan, Russia, was the most significant diplomatic session in Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was even more explicit: “We must not allow the spill-over effects of the battle fight or the expansion of the fight; We should not add fuel to the fire by relevant sundries.” Xi called for an amicable end to the fight. The statement was made after the Xi-Putin meeting, in which China and Russia again underlined deepening their no-limits relations.

Indian PM Narendra Modi also promised peace but did not clarify which conflict he referred to. “We are for talks and not war,” Modi said in a statement reaffirming India’s principled stand for negotiation on peaceful resolution of all international disputes.

The Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva also joined the brigade to appeal to the warring factions to cool down their tempers and for Russia and Ukraine to prepare to step into negotiations to prepare for the start of the peace-making process. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov quoted Putin on military developments, which meant Russia was not backing out on the front. These contradictory emotions largely contribute to defining such a trend because, on the one hand, individuals seek serenity, and on the other, they welcome war.

There was also brutality that persisted in Gaza and Lebanon at the time of the summit. In an interview with his Iranian counterpart, Mr Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS countries to collectively bring solutions to this violence in the Middle East. 

Xi Jinping followed in the footsteps of calling for an end to the killing in the Middle East, seeking an appeal to leaders around the world to “stop the killing and to strive ceaselessly for a proper solution to the Palestinian conflict.”

However, one cannot but notice that the idea of peace has been declared on the BRICS agenda, and one of the primary emphases in its activity is the war in Ukraine. Sources reveal that Putin agreed to mediate several times during his bilateral meeting with other BRICS members. Mr Peskov said that many countries had expressed their willingness to help in efforts to overcome the crisis. At the same time, Peskov insisted that Putin spoke about ‘positive trends’ on the front line because Russian forces were continuing to push deeper into eastern Ukraine gradually.

As of today, Russian military forces attacking Ukraine have taken the war into 2024 with little to no significant breakthroughs. This has kept the conflict in a protracted and attritional phase. In his response to this situation, Brazil’s Lula emphasized the need to avoid further escalation and finally initiate peace talks. “There is an urgent need to avoid escalation and initiate peace negotiations in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia,” said Lula.

As the summit comes to a close, the leaders vowed to uphold peace and diplomacy, but the way to resolve all global conflicts seems uncertain. BRICS keeps on calling for dialogue, while Ukraine and the Middle East regions increase their instability due to running wars.