In a nuanced diplomatic message, President Vladimir Putin will use the SCO summit to champion a world that is both multipolar and UN-centric. He is arguing for a diffusion of global power away from the West, but within the established framework of international law and the United Nations.
Putin’s critique is not of the UN itself, but of what he sees as the West’s subversion of it. He accuses the US and EU of bypassing international law with “discriminatory sanctions.” His vision for a “fairer world order” is one “grounded in international law, with the central coordinating role of the United Nations.”
In this proposed system, blocs like the SCO and BRICS would become influential poles of power, balancing the influence of the West. This, he argues, would force a return to genuine multilateralism within the UN, as no single bloc could dominate the agenda.
This framing is a strategic attempt to gain the moral high ground and broaden his appeal. By positioning himself as a defender of the UN Charter against Western unilateralism, Putin seeks to portray his challenge to the status quo not as revisionism, but as a restoration of the world’s founding principles.