Russian President warns Middle East on brink of all-out war

Watch video Russian President Vladimir Putin warns the Middle East is on the brink of all-out war. Source: Reuters

Speaking at the final meeting of the BRICS summit in the BRICS + and expanded format in Kazan, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin stressed that the latest round of confrontation between Palestine and Israel has become one of the bloodiest clashes ever.

Mr. Putin said the war in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,000 people, most of them civilians, and that the Russian Federation always opposes all acts of terrorism.

President Putin warned that the conflict that began a year ago in the Gaza Strip has spread to Lebanon and affected other countries in the region.

The Russian leader stressed that the level of confrontation between Israel and Iran has increased sharply, creating a chain reaction, pushing the entire Middle East to the brink of a full-scale war.

Mr Putin also expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation, with the number of refugees and displaced people surpassing 1.5 million, indicating the severity of the conflict and its widespread consequences in the region.

The President of the Russian Federation stressed that the solution to the conflict in the Middle East should be based on recognized international rules, and called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.

Mr Putin said that correcting historical injustices against the Palestinians could be the key to ensuring peace in the region and that until this issue is resolved, the spiral of violence cannot be stopped.

The BRICS Summit, with the participation of representatives from 36 countries and 6 international organizations, took place from October 22-24 in Kazan city, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

This is the final event within the framework of Russia's rotating presidency, organized under the motto of strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security.

The leaders who adopted the Kazan Declaration noted the emergence of new centers of power in political decision-making and in economic growth, which could lay the foundations for a more just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.

The Kazan Declaration marks a major step forward in BRICS' efforts to strengthen its role in the multipolar world order.

On the Middle East, BRICS “reiterated its deep concern over the deteriorating situation and humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as a result of the Israeli military offensive, resulting in massive civilian casualties, forced displacement and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure”.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the BRICS countries said that all countries need to “act consistently with the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, take note of and appreciate relevant proposals for mediation and coordination and mediation efforts “to peacefully resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy”.

Since its establishment in 2006, BRICS has grown rapidly and is gradually becoming the largest group of economies in the world.

According to World Bank (WB) data in April 2024, among BRICS members, China has the world's largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by purchasing power parity (PPP) at 35,000 billion USD, India ranks 3rd with GDP by PPP at 14,600 billion USD and the Russian Federation ranks 4th with 6,450 billion USD.

BRICS currently accounts for more than 35% of the global economy and owns a huge market of more than 3 billion people and is expected to account for 50% of the global economy by 20230.

Currently, 4 BRICS member countries are in the Top 10 countries in the world in terms of mineral resources, including Russia, which is the world leader with 75,000 billion USD, Iran, which is 5th (27,300 billion USD), China - 6th (23,000 billion USD), and Brazil - 7th (21,800 billion USD).