Putin not to attend BRICS summit in Johannesburg: S. African president

JOHANNESBURG, July 19 (Xinhua) -- 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.

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.

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.