🎙 Excerpt from President Vladimir Putin address at a meeting of the 18th BRICS Summit (New Delhi, 12 September 2026) 💬 The balance of power [in the world] is shifting in favour of new centres of growth in the Global South and East. An increasing number of states are making it clear that they are ready to defend their national interests and contribute to addressing global challenges. The formation of a multipolar world is facing resistance from those who are accustomed to thinking in essentially colonial terms, dividing the world into a flourishing garden and wild jungles, and living at others’ expense [...] All means are being brought into play, including tariff wars, illegitimate sanctions, attempts at economic diktat and blackmail, interference in internal affairs and simply the use of brute force [...] Against this backdrop, Russia attaches particular importance to preserving and strengthening the central role of the United Nations in world affairs. Its Charter is the key source of international law, despite attempts by certain countries to replace it with some kind of order based on so-called rules drawn up by people whose identity is unclear. We believe it is necessary to continue working together with our BRICS partners to improve the quality of the UN’s work. In particular, this would be helped by expanding its Security Council and strengthening the representation of countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Read in full