Vladimir Putin Cannot Attend BRICS Summit; But Why?

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia will not be able to attend the BRICS Summit live. The convention is taking place for the first time after Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic conditions, the summit ha to be organized via online medium. But Russian President will not able to attend the Summit. The reason for the same is the arrest warrant issued against the leader by International Criminal Court.

Russian President missing!

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, will attend via video chat as his trip to South Africa was delayed by an arrest warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court in March for the kidnapping of children from Ukraine. Xi Jinping of China, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Narendra Modi of India, and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa will all be there in person as the bloc. Putin will take part fully despite participating online and giving a speech, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, will also be attending to represent Russia.

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20 plus nations to join BRICS

According to South African officials, more than 20 countries have applied to join the group, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Both Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will be present at the summit.

Over 1,200 participants, including more than 40 heads of state, are anticipated in Johannesburg from the five BRICS countries and dozens of other developing nations, according to Ramaphosa. António Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, is also anticipated to attend.

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BRICS Summit 2023

There will be calls for greater economic cooperation and collaboration at the summit in areas like health, education, and climate change, but there is a growing belief in the developing world that organizations like the UN, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are not doing enough to help it.

If anything, BRICS has served as a platform for Russia to air its anti-Western rhetoric, with Lavrov criticizing the West for its “hegemony” and employing “financial blackmail” to further its “selfish interests” during a June meeting of BRICS foreign ministers.

In a public park more than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the summit site, a tiny protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was conducted on Tuesday.