Putin skips BRICS Summit over threat of arrest for war crimes

President Vladimir Putin will not attend the 15^th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government which kicked off today in South Africa, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and and other countries interested in joining the alliance.

Putin will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and participate through a video link.

Putin’s physical attendance is impeded by the threat of arrest due to allegations of war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as per an International Criminal Court warrant issued in The Hague.

Key figures expected to grace the event are China’s President Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be present in person.

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Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Tinubu at the 15th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government.

Additionally, the event will see the attendance of 67 high-ranking politicians from Africa and the global South, along with 20 representatives from the United Nations, the African Union, regional African economic communities, and other organizations.

The motive behind the alliance’s expansion is the pursuit of alternative arrangements to the prevailing global power equilibrium, as articulated by South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.

Collectively, the BRICS countries lay claim to 42% of the world’s population, 30% of the global landmass, and 24%of the global economic output.

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Beyond the core members, more than 30 other countries have confirmed their involvement in the three-day conference.

The 15th summit of the BRICS group, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg from August 22 to August 24.

Established in 2009 as an informal alliance, the BRICS group aimed to provide a platform for its members to counter the dominance of the United States and its Western allies in the global order.

Annually, the heads of state and government from the member nations gather, with each nation holding the group’s rotating chairmanship for a year.