President Vladimir Putin repeated several of his go-to talking points during his speech at the BRICS summit on Wednesday in New Delhi, India. These comments were all intended to support Russia's conflict in Ukraine while undermining the West by attributing responsibility for the invasion. This is true even though Mr. Putin chose to send his soldiers into Ukraine. He reiterated the Kremlin narrative that his invasion, which was denounced by Ukraine and the West as an imperialist land grab, was a forced response by Russia to Kyiv's and Washington's hostile actions in a video message to the group's leaders, which also included leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

"Our actions in Ukraine are dictated by only one thing - to end the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites against the people who live in the Donbas," said Mr. Putin, referring to the eastern region of Ukraine where Russian proxies have been battling the Ukrainian army since 2014. "I want to note that the severe crisis in Ukraine was caused by some countries' desire to maintain their hegemony in the world," the speaker said. Mr. Putin was addressing a tiny group of nations that, in contrast to the majority of countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Norway, Turkey, and Italy, have not denounced Russia's activities in Ukraine.

The sanctions are hitting everyone," he said. "They are causing difficulties for the global economy, for the stability of the financial system, for the supply of energy and food." Mr Putin's speech was met with mixed reactions from the BRICS leaders. Some, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressed support for Russia, while others, such as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, were more cautious in their words. He also criticized the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia in his address, calling them "illegal" and "harmful" to the world economy.