Lula says he would like to meet with Putin at BRICS meeting

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, in an interview with the South African newspaper Sunday Times, that he would like to meet with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, at the 15th BRICS summit, to be held in Johannesburg on the next 22 August 24th. Putin will not be present because he is the subject of an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Ukraine, and in his place he will send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“Minister Lavrov is a very important and experienced diplomat, but it would be very important for Russia to participate in this meeting with its president. We are going to discuss important global issues, such as peace and the fight against inequality, and I would very much like to discuss them personally with President Putin,” Lula told journalist Amanda Khoza.

At the meeting, which will be attended by Presidents Xi Jinping (China) and Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (India), Lula said that he also wants to discuss alternatives to the dollar for commercial transactions between the countries. Another theme at the meeting will be the possible expansion of the group, which may include more Asian and South American countries, as well as Arab ones.