We report just a few of the decidedly hysterical comments, from Western sources and media, over the success of the Oct. 22-24 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. Acting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was so taken aback by the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, that he refused to see him in Kyiv. In a BBC article, journalists fretted that Putin had gathered allies to prove that Western pressure was not working. One expert commented that attempts to isolate Russia had failed, and that the country was calmly enduring sanctions.
The New York Times writes that the Russian leader has won a diplomatic victory, noting that Putin has been able to position himself as a “global statesman.” The Washington Post cattishly called BRICS an anti-Western alliance, and the Euronews TV channel emphasized that the summit has caused concern among those who shape policy in the European Union.