The 15th BRICS summit is all set to be hosted by South Africa in Q3 this year. The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will gather to discuss several strategic agendas during the Aug. 22-24 meeting.
A few hours back, Ukrainian Nobel peace prize winner, Oleksandra Romantsova asked South African regulators not to allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the BRICS summit. Notably, Romantsova is the head of an NGO that won Ukraine’s pioneer peace prize last year. Romantsova is in South Africa to garner support for Ukraine. She reportedly told a media briefing in Johannesburg,
“For us South Africa is a place where people are fighting for freedom, for equality for dignity.”
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Here it is worth recalling that in March this year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin for allegedly being responsible for the war crime situation in Ukraine. He has been accused of Russia unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. This likely means that when he arrives in Africa to attend the summit, he will have to be detained on arrival. According to Romantsova, it would “be a great disappointment” if Putin goes to Africa and is not arrested. However, she suggested that the Russian President could attend the BRICS summit via Zoom, or send a minister who is not wanted by the ICC.
Putin accepts the invite to attend BRICS Summit
That being said, it should be noted that BRICS South Africa Sherpa, Anil Sooklal recently revealed that President Putin has accepted the invitation to attend an in-person BRICS summit in South Africa. Sooklal said that Russia is “preparing to attend the summit.”
The State Duma’s Deputy Chairman, Alexander Babakov, recently revealed that the BRICS countries are working on the development of a new form of currency. The nations involved may pitch ideas related to the objective during the upcoming summit in South Africa. In fact, the doors are currently open for a single BRICS currency to emerge. Alongside gold, this currency might also be backed by other commodities like rare-earth elements or soil, Babakov said.
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