After Putin, Indian PM Modi Unlikely To Attend BRICS Summit In South Africa

The BRICS Summit scheduled to be held in South Africa is gradually losing sheen. If reports are to be believed, after Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also unlikely to attend the summit in person.

According to Reuters, the Indian Prime Minister is unlikely to attend the summit in person and might participate virtually. However, no official statement has been issued yet either by the Indian government or by South African authorities.

BRICS consists of five emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The upcoming 15th BRICS summit will be held from Aug. 22 to 24 in South Africa.

According to Reuters, India might be opting out to attend in person due to increasing tension between India and China over territorial disputes.

If this report turns out to be true, then PM Modi will be the second leader to be absent in person as President Putin announced last month that he won't be attending the event. Instead, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, will represent Russia during the summit.

President Putin's physical attendance at the summit became a global issue as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin on March 18 and was expecting South Africa to arrest him if he steps into the country amid Russia and Ukraine conflict.

Considering the global tension, South Africa's ambassador-at-large for Asia and the BRICS, Anil Sooklal, said that under a "collectively" reached decision Putin would virtually take part in the discussions.

"President Putin understands the dilemma that South Africa faces, but he didn't want to jeopardize the summit, he didn't want to create problems for South Africa," Sooklal told a media briefing in Johannesburg last month.

South Africa, on the other hand, has taken a neutral stance on the ongoing conflict. Moreover, the country's President Cyril Ramaphosa led an African delegation to Ukraine and Russia to speak with their leaders to seek peace.

South Africa came under fire in May when the country was accused of supplying weapons to Russia against Ukraine. In response, President Ramaphosa appointed a panel of three members to investigate the matter.

While Russian and Indian heads won't be physically present at the event, China and Brazil have not made any such announcements of leaders not attending in person.