Putin was asked a series of questions on varying topics, starting from the MidEast conflict and finishing with the Ukrainian crisis.
Commenting on the Palestine-Israel conflict, Putin said: “I believe that there is no person on Earth whose heart does not bleed when they see what is happening in Gaza."
However, as an experienced statesmen, Putin is sure that “the solution can only be found by addressing the root causes, the primary one being the lack of a fully recognised, sovereign Palestinian state."
Putin stressed that Russia’s “position on this is clear”, referring to the two-state solution.
A journalist from Saudi Arabia wondered if BRICS had already evolved to form a “centralized government framework” from being a platform for talks, and asked whether further financial integration among BRICS nations was possible.
Putin explained that he would prefer to avoid creating “to much red tape within BRICS” and establishing a board of “all these official driving luxury cars." However, he agreed that BRICS would benefit if more structure is added.
Commenting on financial integration, Putin said that BRICS countries need instruments that would “ensure that their investments in emerging markets are reliable and safe."
The Ukrainian crisis was also extensively discussed. Putin reminded that escalation in Ukraine was precipitated by the coup d’etat in 2014 which was backed by the US.
Putin stressed that the Minsk Agreements were a Western ploy aimed at winning time to militarize Ukraine. He added that as a result, NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict.
However, despite NATO’s involvement, “the Russian Army is acting confidently on all fronts," stressed Putin.