Putin to miss BRICS summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit in South Africa from August 22 to 24, according to a statement issued by the presidential office of the host country on Wednesday.

"By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," the statement read.

The Kremlin said Putin will participate in the summit by video call.

South Africa is ready to host the summit and is confident the event will be successful, the country's presidential office said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.