The European Union on Wednesday called on nations participating in the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, to urge President Vladimir Putin to cease Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine.

The summit is attended by over 20 leaders, including Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano criticized “Russia’s exploitation” of its leadership role within the group, highlighting the existence of an arrest warrant for the Russian president.

“We hope that all summit participants in Kazan will take this opportunity to once again urge Putin to immediately halt the war against the Ukrainian people,” he stated.

The spokesperson also expressed the EU’s support for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who is present at the summit.

“We are confident that he will reiterate the call for Russia and Putin to completely and unconditionally end the brutal aggression against the Ukrainian people,” he added.