President Vladimir Putin “continues to hold the door open for a resolution” of conflicts between NATO and Russia but champions BRICS multipolarity.

Vladimir Putin closed out the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) with a presentation where he stressed the country’s preparations for the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan this fall. The bloc doubled in size at last year’s summit and appears set to continue to expand as it challenges and surpasses the Western-oriented G7 group.

The theme that Vladimir Putin painted was one that showed Russia to be in a sound place economically, a growing economy, a diversifying economy, an economy that was adapting to the new reality of a multilateral, multipolar world, an economy that is very much linked to the future expansion and success of BRICS.

He is speaking openly about a currency that will replace the dollar-dominated global economy, not sometime in the theoretical future, but now, something that can emerge out of the BRICS summit. He de-emphasized the conflict in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin made it clear that Russia will win this conflict. He also made it clear that there are options on how this conflict can come to an end.

Putin “put the Istanbul solution back on the table” for a resolution of the conflict with Ukraine, but it would be modified “based upon the new reality.” Volodymyr Zelensky must step down, Putin said, insisting that Zelensky is a usurper after ruling beyond his elected mandate. The Russian president also sought to calm speculation about nuclear war and conflict with the United States, arguing that conditions have not been met for Russia to consider the use of its nuclear weapons.