Moscow’s Multipolar Pivot: Inside the 12th Primakov Readings

The conference, rooted in the foreign policy doctrine of the late Yevgeny Primakov, served as a platform to formalize a constructive agenda for a world moving beyond the 'rules-based order.' Central to this shift is the strengthening of the RIC (Russia, India, and China) alliance and the expansion of BRICS+, which Moscow positions as a model of sovereign equality. According to Russian officials, the existing international system, characterized by Western-led sanctions and NATO expansion, is increasingly viewed as an obstacle to global stability rather than its guarantor.

Lavrov emphasized that the current trajectory of Western sanctions, particularly those adopted in June 2026, has failed to achieve its strategic objectives while simultaneously destabilizing European manufacturing sectors. Instead of isolating Russia, Moscow argues that these measures have accelerated the shift toward alternative economic architectures. The Joint Declaration on the Formation of a Multipolar World, signed by Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterparts, stands as the doctrinal foundation for this new alignment. By prioritizing the interests of the Global South, Moscow aims to build a continental structure in Eurasia that rejects the 'leader-follower' hierarchy of Western-centric institutions in favor of consensus-driven diplomacy.