KAZAN, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin closed a summit of the BRICS bloc developing economies on Thursday, praising its role as a counterweight to what he called the “perverse methods” of the West.

The three-day summit in the city of Kazan brought together leaders or representatives from 36 countries, underscoring the failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in the country . Ukraine.

The conflict was raised several times during the meeting, during which the first visit to Russia by the Secretary General of the United Nations took place. Antonio Guterres in more than two years and sparked an angry reaction in kyiv. Guterres called for “a just peace” in Ukraine, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions. He also called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.

At a news conference Thursday evening, Putin was asked about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise to end the fighting in Ukraine.

“What Mr. Trump said recently, what I heard, is that he talked about his willingness to do everything to end the conflict in Ukraine,” Putin said. “It seems to me that he said it sincerely. We certainly welcome statements of this type, no matter who makes them.”

Putin was also asked about the presence of North Korean troops in Russia, which he neither confirmed nor denied. The United States said on Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops were deployed in Russia and train at several sites.

“Images are a serious thing, if there are images then they reflect something,” he said of satellite photos of the troops.

Putin stressed that lawmakers in Moscow earlier today ratified a pact with North Korea on mutual military assistance within the framework of a “strategic partnership” with Pyongyang.

“We have never doubted that the North Korean leaders take our agreements seriously. What and how we will do within the framework of this article (of the agreement) is our business,” he said.

The summit focused on deepening financial cooperation, including the development of alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems, efforts to resolve regional conflicts and the expansion of the BRICS group of nations.

The alliance which initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa when it was formed in 2009 has expanded to encompass Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and several other countries have expressed interest in joining.

The Kremlin billed the summit as Russia’s “biggest foreign policy event ever.”

Speaking at what was dubbed the “BRICS Plus” session, attended by countries considering joining the bloc, Putin accused the West of trying to stem the growing power of the Global South with “sanctions illegal unilateral actions, blatant protectionism, currency and stock market manipulation and unrelenting foreign influence ostensibly promoting democracy, human rights and the climate change agenda.

“Such perverse methods and approaches – to put it bluntly – lead to the emergence of new conflicts and the aggravation of old disagreements,” Putin said. “An example of this is Ukraine, which is used to create critical threats to Russia’s security, disregarding our vital interests, fair concerns and violations of the rights of the Russian-speaking people.”

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payments system that would offer an alternative to the global banking messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to avoid Western sanctions and trade with its partners.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the participants expressed concern over “the disruptive effect of illegal unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions” and reiterated their commitment to strengthening financial cooperation within BRICS. They highlighted the benefits of “faster, cheaper, more efficient, transparent, secure and inclusive cross-border payment instruments, based on the principle of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory access”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the bloc’s role in ensuring global security. Xi noted that China and Brazil have propose a peace plan for Ukraine and sought to rally wider international support for it. Ukraine rejected the proposal.

“We should promote de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible and pave the way for a political settlement,” Xi said.

Putin and Xi announced a “limitless” partnership weeks before Russia sends troops to Ukraine in 2022. They have already met twice earlier this year, in Beijing in May and at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan in July .

Russia’s cooperation with India is also flourishing, as New Delhi views Moscow as a proven partner since the Cold War, despite Russia’s close ties with India’s rival China. While Western allies want New Delhi to be more active in persuading Moscow to end the fighting in Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement.

Addressing the BRICS Plus session, Guterres called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan. “We need peace in Ukraine, a just peace, consistent with the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” he said.

Kremlin-controlled Russian media portrayed the summit as a massive political coup that left the West fearing a loss of global influence. State television broadcasts and news bulletins have emphasized that BRICS countries represent about half of the world’s population, constituting the “global majority” and challenging Western “hegemony.”

TV hosts widely cited Western media reports saying the summit had highlighted the failure of Moscow’s isolation. “The West, the United States, Washington, Brussels, London have ended up isolating themselves,” declared Eugene Popov, host of a popular political debate on the public channel Rossiya 1.

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