Macron’s Reaction To Prigozhin’s Failed Coup Is Another Reason Not To Invite Him To BRICS

The French leader’s glee after hearing about that armed rebellion confirms that he marches in lockstep with the West when it comes to Russia, which is one of BRICS’ co-founders. South Africa would therefore be disrespecting its fellow partner by inviting him to attend the same event that President Putin might personally participate in as well.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov lambasted French President Macron on Monday for his reaction to Prigozhin’s failed coup over the weekend. This top diplomat said that “Macron clearly saw in the developments an opportunity to realize the threat of Ukraine dealing Russia a strategic blow, a mantra NATO leaders have been holding onto.” The Kremlin clearly isn’t convinced that Macron’s recent criticism of US policy towards China signals a change in his country’s approach towards multipolarity in general.

This is crucial to consider ahead this year’s BRICS Summit after the South African and French Foreign Ministers’ “hypothetical” discussion last week about his possible attendance. There were already reasons to be skeptical of his reported intent to join that event, such as the fact that France continues waging proxy wars against Russia all across Africa and of course also in Eastern Europe, but Macron’s reaction to Prigozhin’s failed coup should settle the debate if Pretoria is truly as sovereign as its leadership claims.

The French leader’s glee after hearing about that armed rebellion confirms that he marches in lockstep with the West when it comes to Russia, which is one of BRICS’ co-founders. South Africa would therefore be disrespecting its fellow partner by inviting him to attend the same event that President Putin might personally participate in as well, thus possibly leading to the Russian leader boycotting it out of protest. If he feels provoked to do so, then it could harm BRICS’ unity, but South Africa would be entirely at fault.

There’s no excuse for its diplomats to claim that they’re unaware of how Russia assesses Macron’s reaction to recent events after Lavrov’s interview, which makes it absolutely unacceptable to invite the French leader to the upcoming BRICS Summit. Pragmatic rhetoric towards China doesn’t take away from France waging Hybrid War against Russia and hoping that it’ll eventually be dealt a strategic blow. Paris can’t play a positive role in multipolarity without respecting Moscow, but it adamantly refuses to do so.

BRICS countries have the right to cultivate bilateral ties with France, but Russia also has the right not to be disrespected by its fellow partners in the group. If South Africa and other members like China, whose leading media published editorials about the possibility of Macron taking part in the upcoming summit, want to explore de-dollarization with France, then they can do so outside of BRICS. Nothing’s stopping them from that, and it doesn’t involve any risk to their relations with Russia or to their bloc’s unity.

As South Africa’s top trade partner, China should consider sharing some unsolicited advice with it behind the scenes regarding the likely consequences of inviting Macron to this year’s summit. Beijing’s interests are served by preserving BRICS’ unity, which could be threatened if the French leader attends the upcoming event and thus prompts President Putin to boycott it out of protest. Hopefully South Africa can be pursued by its partners to stop flirting with this scenario for the sake of the greater good.