France has applied to attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa in August. France is currently a G7 and NATO country so this is…surprising.
This does not necessarily mean that France would join the BRICS alliance. French President Emmanuel Macron has only expressed “interest” in attending the conference as an observer but it is an interesting buzz from a Western nation.
France and Russia are not on great terms these days. France has accused Russia of anti-French narratives in Africa where France has lost influence in recent years. So have other colonizing nations such as Portugal, Belgium and Italy. Could that be anti-French rhetoric or African independence? Russia obviously objects to France sending weapons and aid to Ukraine. Could France and Russia benefit from actual diplomacy then?
South Africa, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that France’s interest in BRICS is “thinking out loud,” adding that “dialogue is always positive; even when you don’t agree 100% on everything, you have to talk to understand each other and to find solutions.”
