‘Pressing Global Challenges’: Putin Defines Them as Western Policies

When President Vladimir Putin speaks of strengthening the SCO and BRICS to address “pressing global challenges,” he is primarily defining those challenges as the policies of the West. His pre-summit remarks reframe global problems through the lens of a confrontation with the US and EU.
The most “pressing” challenge, in his view, is the use of “discriminatory sanctions.” He argues these unilateral measures are a fundamental threat to global stability and socioeconomic development, requiring a united defense from non-Western nations.
Another challenge is the unipolar security structure dominated by Western alliances. His proposal for an “equal and indivisible security” architecture in Eurasia is a direct answer to this, aiming to create a counterweight and an alternative model for international security cooperation.
By defining the world’s problems in this way, Putin is rallying the SCO around a common adversary. His agenda for the Tianjin summit is to transform the bloc into a more overtly geopolitical organization, one whose primary purpose is to counter Western influence and build a new, multipolar order.