Ahead of Modi’s visit, Putin invokes Bollywood bonding, lauds India’s Ukraine diplomacy

KAZAN (Russia): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a charm offensive, invoking his love for Bollywood films and commending the Indian leader for his continuing efforts to encourage the
ongoing Ukraine conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. Speaking ahead of the 16th BRICS Summit scheduled to take place in Kazan from October 22-24,President Putin expressed gratitude to PM
Modi for consistently raising the Ukraine issue during their discussions, emphasizing Russia’s openness to peaceful negotiations. During a pre-summit briefing, Mr. Putin highlighted that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that halted peace negotiations. “We are interested in resolving the conflict peacefully,” Putin remarked. “Each time I speak with Prime Minister Modi, he expresses his concerns and raises the matter. We are thankful to him for that.” These remarks reflect the strong diplomatic ties between Russia and India, as well as Modi’s ongoing role in promoting peace efforts amidst the global geopolitical crisis.

BRICS: A Non-Western Bloc

Mr. Putin also echoed PM Modi’s characterization of BRICS, emphasizing that the grouping is not an anti-Western alliance but a non-Western one. “BRICS was never meant to be against anyone,” said Putin, borrowing Modi’s words. He further elaborated that BRICS aims to foster economic cooperation and development outside of the traditional Western framework. This sentiment is becoming increasingly relevant as BRICS recently expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, in addition to its core members of
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. He emphasized that BRICS will drive much of global economic growth in the coming years, outperforming Western economies. “The countries in our association are essentially the drivers of global economic growth,” he said, noting that BRICS represents 24% of global GDP and 41% of the world’s population. This growth, he explained, would increasingly rely on economic sovereignty, free from external interference.

Bollywood Connect

Beyond geopolitics, Mr. Putin also touched on strong cultural connections between Russia and India. He expressed enthusiasm for promoting Indian cinema in Russia, noting the immense popularity of Bollywood films among Russian audiences. “We have a TV channel dedicated to Indian movies, and we hold the BRICS film festival,” he said. He suggested that Russia would be open to collaborating
with Indian filmmakers and other BRICS nations to further deepen cultural ties.

Addressing the foreign press, Mr. Putin waxed lyrical about Indian cinema, saying it’s more popular in the country than entertainment from any other BRICS country. “Cinema products and film industry are a part of the economy, and is to be duly regulated. India has made a lot of decisions to protect its own market,” Putin said. “I am sure we will come to terms 100 per cent, we are positive that if the Indian friends have this interest, we will find common ground to promote Indian films to the Russian market,” he added. This year, Moscow International Film Festival will also be introducing films from BRICS nations, including India.

Mr. Putin also identified pharmaceuticals as a sector ripe for collaboration between the two nations, with stating he is ready to discuss these opportunities with PM Modi at the summit. Strengthening BRICS as a Global Force Looking ahead to the BRICS summit, Putin emphasized Russia commitment to strengthening the grouping’s economic and political influence. He highlighted the potential of BRICS initiatives such as cross-border payment systems and the use of national currencies to reduce
dependence on Western financial systems. “We are working on a financial messaging system immune to Western sanctions,” he added, signalling a shift towards greater financial independence for BRICS members. With leaders from China, India, and the UAE confirmed to attend, the Kazan Summit is set to further solidify BRICS’ role in shaping the future of global economic governance.
(Ananya Singh contributed inputs for this article)

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Manish Chand

Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.