Why Did Russia's Vladimir Putin Skip BRICS Summit In South Africa?

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin was absent as leaders from the BRICS group of emerging economies convened for a three-day summit in South Africa on Tuesday. The BRICS consortium, composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is convening for its first in-person meeting since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the BRICS group welcomed South Africa into its fold in 2010.

Putin's travel plans to Johannesburg were entangled due to an ongoing International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest concerning the abduction of children from Ukraine. Despite the absence, he contributed to the bloc's first in-person meeting since the pre-COVID-19 era through a 17-minute prerecorded speech.

While Xi was present in South Africa and held bilateral discussions with President Cyril Ramaphosa, he did not join the leaders of Brazil and India for a business forum alongside his host. Although the reason for his nonattendance was not disclosed, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered Xi's speech on his behalf.

The primary session of the summit, set in Johannesburg's financial district of Sandton, is scheduled for Wednesday. During this session, Xi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and President Ramaphosa were expected to convene as BRICS contemplates potential expansion.

With the BRICS grouping already encompassing 40 percent of the global population and contributing to over 30 percent of worldwide economic output, more than 20 nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, have expressed interest in joining, according to South African authorities.

Both Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were anticipated to participate in the summit.

Before new member nations are admitted, the current five-member countries must agree on the criteria for inclusion. However, a larger BRICS membership aligns with the interests of China and Russia, particularly as their relations with the West deteriorate.

The formation of the bloc occurred in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010.

While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented Russia at the event, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov underscored that Putin would be actively involved in the summit despite his remote participation.

Local officials indicated that Putin would virtually attend a welcome dinner on Tuesday hosted by South Africa. The agenda also listed him as delivering a speech via video link on Wednesday.

In total, over 1,200 delegates from the BRICS member nations and various other developing countries gathered in South Africa's largest city, with more than 40 heads of state expected to participate in several summit sessions, as noted by Ramaphosa. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was also slated to be in attendance.

On the opening day of the summit, discussions centered around fostering economic cooperation and collaboration across areas such as health, education, and climate change. These conversations reflected a prevailing sentiment in some regions that institutions often viewed as Western-led, including the U.N., the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, inadequately serve the interests of developing nations.

During his time in Pretoria earlier that Tuesday, where he met with Xi, Ramaphosa expressed his aim to gain "Chinese support for South Africa and Africa's call for the reform of global governance institutions, notably the United Nations Security Council."

Notably, Africa and South America lack permanent representatives on the Security Council, despite collectively hosting nearly 2 billion individuals.

Following their meeting, Xi and Ramaphosa observed a ceremonial military parade at the Union Buildings, the official governmental seat in South Africa. Xi briefly commented at the event, expressing China's readiness for increased cooperation with Africa's advanced economy "to elevate our comprehensive strategic partnerships."

While officials within BRICS assert that the bloc is not adopting an anti-Western stance, contrary to claims influenced by China and Russia, the group does prioritize the interests of the Global South.

Nevertheless, the BRICS position often diverges from that of the United States and Western allies, particularly in matters like Russia's incursion into Ukraine. Despite calls from the European Union for Xi, Lula, Modi, and Ramaphosa to use the summit as an opportunity to condemn Russia and Putin for the conflict in Ukraine, such a statement is improbable.

If anything, the BRICS platform has provided Russia a forum to express its anti-Western rhetoric. In June, during a BRICS foreign ministers meeting, Lavrov criticized Western "hegemony" and its utilization of "financial blackmail" to further its "selfish interests."

A small demonstration against Russia's Ukraine invasion occurred Tuesday in a public park over 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the summit venue.

Both the United States and the EU are closely monitoring developments in Johannesburg, given the extensive list of countries expressing interest in joining BRICS. This suggests that the bloc's calls for global governance restructuring might be resonating with many nations.