White House denies it sees BRICS as anti-US coalition

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Sep 2023 19:22
1 Shares

The BRICS group's founding members include China and Russia which have both had their relations with the US severely deteriorate in the past years.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Washington (AP)

The White House does not believe that the BRICS alliance is working to oppose the US, said National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Friday.

"We don't see the BRICS as some sort of anti-US coalition or sort of inimical body to the advancement of our own national security interests or our own vast network of alliances and partnerships," Kirby told reporters.

"Many members in the so-called BRICS…we do have bilateral relations with, some very good bilateral relations, so we don't look at it as any kind of a threat," he added.

The BRICS group's founding members include China and Russia, the two countries which have seen a significant deterioration in their ties with the US in recent years.

US-China relations have been strained due to a series of provocative actions by the US which include visits by US lawmakers to Taiwan, making claims about a 'China threat' to destabilize diplomatic relations with regional neighbors, and more generally the spread of anti-Chinese sentiment across the globe.

In the last BRICS summit which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, China issued several demands in its BRICS declaration, that were seen as aimed at undermining Western hegemony to the benefit of a multipolar world.

One of the demands that were voiced by China in its declaration was to reform international institutions, in particular the World Bank and the IMF, which are both largely dominated by the US.

It also called for a "comprehensive reform" of the UN, which Beijing regards as biased and Western-centered.

Russia, on the other hand, has been the target of systematic sanctions by the EU and the G7 due to the conflict in Ukraine which is mainly spearheaded by the US.

Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian economy has sustained some serious damages due to the sanctions.

However, measures taken by the government to alleviate their impact have been highly successful.

On another note, he said that Russia will refuse to agree with the upcoming G20 summit's declaration if the latter sidelines Russia's stance on global crises.

The West's excessive focus on the Ukraine conflict at every meeting has distracted international participants from the primary goal of stabilizing the global economy.

Even if the West demonstrated intentions to restore diplomatic relations, Russia will refrain from cooperating with the West in areas crucial to the country's security, Lavrov noted.