Putin not to attend BRICS summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in South Africa in August "by mutual agreement", South Africa's presidency said on Wednesday.

"Russia will instead be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Johannesburg summit, alongside the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa," the statement reads.

The BRICS summit will be held in South Africa on August 22-24. It will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.