Putin not to attend BRICS summit in Johannesburg

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Wednesday that by mutual agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit set to be held here in South Africa in August, reported Xinhua.

Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ramaphosa said in a statement on the Presidency's website.

Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa's readiness to host the 15th BRICS summit. According to the statement, it will be the first BRICS summit to be hosted in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the upcoming BRICS summit via video link.

"President Putin has decided to participate in the BRICS summit in the format of a video conference call," Peskov said, adding that the Russian leader intends to fully participate in the event.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the summit in person, Peskov said.

The 15th BRICS Summit will take place in Johannesburg from Aug. 22 to 24, with the theme of "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism."

BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa assumed the BRICS presidency on Jan. 1, taking over from China.