Up close with Vladimir Putin at BRICS meet

Over the course of three days in Kazan, Russia, I had an insider's view of the inner workings of one of the world's most enigmatic leaders. As a journalist in Vladimir Putin's media pool during the BRICS summit, I was granted rare access to the president's movement - something very few journalists experience.

As I stood not very far away from the man at dinner, I watched Putin unhurriedly weave through the crowd, glass of Russian wine in hand, stopping to offer toast to each important guest. "To the prosperity of our nations," he declared with a glint in his eye.

For Putin, the summit and the pomp and ceremony around it was a stage to showcase Russia's resilience and defiance. In the heart of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, Putin wasn't merely presiding over a dinner; he was presenting a carefully curated vision of Russia - one that seeks to redefine its place on the global stage.


Russia is not isolated - this was, in many ways, the message the Kremlin sought to convey while hosting the BRICS summit. Putin's gala in Kazan was not just about diplomacy; it was his way of reasserting Russia's place at the table of international politics. The summit symbolised Putin's broader efforts to present Russia as a nation deeply rooted in tradition while asserting its place as a global power. There would be times when President Putin, who would swiftly walk into the halls with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on one side and China's President Xi Jinping on the other.

For a foreign journalist based in India who has spent the last five years covering the India-China border tensions, that image was nothing short of fascinating - a moment of diplomatic theatre.

It was particularly poignant as the summit marked the first India-China bilateral in five years, centred around a significant deal on Russian oil. Both Modi and Xi seemed keen to make up for lost time, warming up to each other as they navigated delicate negotiations under Putin's watchful eye.

In the closing hours of the Kazan summit, President Putin held his customary press conference - a session that, as is often the case, came with inevitable delays. This time, journalists waited for over four hours beyond the scheduled start. Despite the notorious delay, something that has become part of Putin's reputation over the years, known for keeping his audience waiting as a mark of his control over the narrative, there was little sign of impatience or complaint.

As a journalist for RT, Russia's foreign audience-oriented public broadcaster, which has been banned in much of the West, I couldn't help but reflect on the unique situation at hand: foreign journalists, many of whom have spent years openly criticising Putin's regime, now getting an opportunity to ask tough, probing questions.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press secretary, didn't hesitate to pick out Western journalists raising their hands, casually referring to them as "rare guests." BBC, NBC, and other major outlets were among those granted the chance to ask questions. The West may accuse Putin of being undemocratic, but at the global stage, like the BRICS summit, he presents himself as a defender of a democratic world order - one that seeks a balance by challenging the West's unchecked dominance. Therein lies the enigma that is Vladimir Putin.

(The author is Russia Today's South Asia Correspondent based in New Delhi. Views are personal)