Russia remains absorbed with Europe amid BRICS summit

Moscow sees Ukraine’s capacity to defend and strike back as entirely dependent upon European engagement. Any potential deduction from European support for Ukraine, whether caused by an explosion (fortunately, prevented) in Leipzig or voting in Magdeburg, is of greater importance for Putin than trade tariffs, regulation of the artificial intelligence race, reform of the UN Security Council, or any other item on the BRICS agenda. India, the People’s Republic of China, and most other state-signatories to the New Delhi declaration—which does not mention Russia’s war against Ukraine—are aware, and wary, of this obsession.