Johannesburg - During the inauguration of an economic summit in South Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin utilized a pre-recorded speech broadcast on large screens on Tuesday to criticize what he referred to as "illegitimate sanctions" imposed on his nation by the Western world. He also made a statement about the potential permanent suspension of Ukraine's grain exports.

Although an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to the conflict in Ukraine hovers over Putin, he opted not to physically attend the BRICS group summit in Johannesburg, a gathering of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Instead, he planned to participate virtually in this three-day meeting.

In his pre-recorded speech, spanning 17 minutes, Putin concentrated on the war in Ukraine and Russia's interaction with Western nations. This focus on East-West tensions contradicted the intentions of South African officials, who had hoped to steer the conversation away from these tensions during the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seated at a desk with a white notebook and a Russian flag behind him, Putin conveyed that a crucial wartime agreement for shipping Ukrainian grain—integral to global food supply—would not resume unless his conditions, including the relaxation of restrictions on Russian food and agricultural products, were met.

Putin criticized the West's endeavors to financially penalize and isolate Russia for its military actions in Ukraine, labeling these actions as "illegitimate sanctions practice and illegal freezing of assets of sovereign states, which essentially amounts to them trampling upon all the basic norms and rules of free trade."

Having recently withdrawn from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and intensified attacks on the city of Odesa in southern Ukraine, one of the ports covered by the agreement, Moscow's actions have significant implications. The initiative had been credited with stabilizing prices for essential commodities like wheat and vegetable oil.

Even in the face of hindrances to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, Putin asserted that his country has the capacity to substitute Ukraine in grain production, both commercially and through humanitarian aid to countries in need.

Although Western sanctions have not specifically targeted Russian agricultural exports, restrictions on international financial payment systems under these sanctions have complicated Russia's ability to bring food, fertilizer, and other products to the market.

"In light of these circumstances, since July 18, we have declined to extend the so-called agreement," Putin declared. "We will be prepared to revisit it, but only if all obligations to the Russian side are genuinely fulfilled."

Chinese President Xi Jinping also adopted a confrontational tone at the Johannesburg summit. In a speech delivered on his behalf by a Chinese government minister, shortly after Putin's address, Xi conveyed that "a certain country obsessed with maintaining its dominance has deliberately crippled emerging markets and developing nations."

While the summit's host, South Africa, has pushed back against characterizations that BRICS is taking an anti-Western turn due to Russian and Chinese influence, the forum underscores growing discontent within the developing world regarding global institutions. Many countries in the Global South perceive institutions like the UN, World Bank, and IMF, which they view as Western-led, as not serving their interests.

Approximately 1,200 delegates from the five BRICS countries, along with numerous other developing nations, are participating in the summit. Over 40 heads of state were expected to attend various meetings during the summit.

The event is closely monitored by the United States and the EU, as the significant interest from other countries seeking to join BRICS suggests that the bloc's calls for a reorganization of global governance structures are resonating widely.