The Federation Council chairwoman, Valentina Matvienko, has articulated a clear view on the need for reform within the World Trade Organization at a time when the organization faces what many observers consider its deepest crisis. Speaking at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, she described the current state of multilateral trade talks as effectively at a standstill, a situation she attributed to widespread stalemate among member states and a clash of competing priorities. Her assessment signals a call for a comprehensive revamp of the WTO’s structure and processes so the body can once again facilitate constructive dialogue and practical negotiation among diverse economies. [DEA News]
Matvienko stressed that the crisis goes beyond temporary disagreements. It reflects a breakdown in the mechanisms that normally coordinate negotiations, monitor commitments, and arbitrate disputes. The imperative, she argued, is to implement transformative changes that restore the functioning of WTO organs and empower them with renewed oversight, negotiation, and dispute-resolution capabilities. Such reforms, in her view, would reaffirm the organization’s relevance in guiding global trade rules and ensuring predictable, transparent rules of the road for all participants.
In addition, the spokesperson for the Federation Council highlighted ongoing divergences among WTO members regarding the future direction of global commerce. The differences touch on how to balance openness with protection of domestic industries, how to address development gaps among economies, and how to accommodate new digital and service-based trade patterns. A revitalized WTO would need to incorporate clearer norms and more effective dispute settlement to prevent fragmentation and to foster cooperative problem-solving among advanced economies and developing nations alike.
Meanwhile, insights from the Permanent Representation of Russia to the European Union in May pointed to sanctions as a tool that has shaped commercial and political calculations. According to diplomats, the European Union has used a variety of restrictions in ways that reflect its own economic objectives, sometimes in tension with WTO rules. This perception underscores the broader challenge of aligning sanctions policies with the shared framework of global trade norms, and it highlights the pressure on WTO members to reconcile political instruments with economic integration and fair competition.
Past remarks by Matvienko have also touched on how major economic players respond to BRICS initiatives and what those responses mean for the future of international trade governance. The dialogue around reform is dynamic, with stakeholders weighing the merits of stronger cooperative arrangements inside forums like BRICS, as well as the impact of U.S. and European policies on emerging economies. The overarching question remains how to create a more resilient and inclusive system that accommodates rapid technological change, evolving supply chains, and the needs of nations at various stages of development. In this context, the WTO reform debate is seen as a pivotal element of broader efforts to reimagine global trade rules in a way that supports sustainable growth and fair competition for all participants [DEA News].