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BRICS Summit Shaken as Xi Jinping and Putin Skip Key Brazil Meeting
By Watcher.Guru | June 2025
The upcoming BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro has plunged into uncertainty after it was confirmed that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend. Their absence—unprecedented in the bloc’s history—raises serious concerns about the leadership cohesion and future direction of the expanded alliance.
No-Show: ICC Warrant Disrupts Attendance
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the July 6–7 summit due to the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him in March 2023. The warrant, tied to allegations of war crimes involving the deportation of Ukrainian children, legally obliges Brazil, an ICC member, to detain him if he enters the country.
“This is related to certain difficulties in the context of the ICC’s demands,” said Russian foreign policy aide Yuriy Ushakov. “The Brazilian government was unable to take a clear position that would allow our president to participate.”
Putin will instead join virtually, while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov leads Russia’s in-person delegation. This continues Putin’s avoidance of ICC member states—he also skipped the G20 in Brazil last year.
Xi Jinping Breaks Decade-Long Attendance Streak
In a historic first, Xi Jinping will not attend the BRICS summit—a major shift for the Chinese leader who has been present at every summit since assuming power. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will represent China, as he did during the 2023 G20 summit in India.
Officially, Beijing cites a scheduling conflict, but reports suggest deeper reasons:
▪️ Diplomatic sources hint at displeasure over Brazil’s warm reception of Indian PM Narendra Modi, potentially seen as undermining Xi’s role.
▪️ Xi previously met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva twice in 2024, raising expectations of a reciprocal visit.
Brazil Left Scrambling Amid Leadership Crisis
Brazilian officials have expressed clear disappointment as the summit host country, calling this a “BRICS leadership crisis.” President Lula’s May trip to Beijing was intended as a goodwill gesture to strengthen ties.
Despite Xi’s absence, China’s Foreign Ministry voiced support for the summit:
“In a volatile and turbulent world, BRICS nations maintain their strategic resolve and work together for global peace, stability, and development,” said ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
Yet behind the diplomacy, the absence of both Putin and Xi has created an unmistakable vacuum at the top of the BRICS bloc.
Unity in Question as BRICS Expands
With the recent expansion of BRICS to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, the bloc faces new complexity in aligning its geopolitical interests. But the absence of its two most prominent leaders—one for legal reasons, the other for diplomatic concerns—underscores the fragility of BRICS’ unity.
The dual absence “exposes the limits of international cooperation under pressure from legal and geopolitical constraints,” said one analyst.
“It weakens the bloc’s ability to present a united front in contrast to Western institutions.”
What Lies Ahead?
Though the summit will proceed, led by Li Qiang and Sergey Lavrov, the leadership void casts a long shadow. The BRICS initiative—long positioned as an alternative to U.S.-dominated global systems—now faces deeper questions:
▪️ Can the bloc maintain coherence with rising internal tensions?
▪️ Will future summits restore full leadership participation?
▪️ And how will these developments impact BRICS’ long-term role in shaping a multipolar global order?
For now, the Rio summit may proceed, but the tone is cautious, not triumphant.
@ Newshounds News™
Source: Watcher Guru
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