Three Leaders to Skip BRICS Summit in Kazan Despite Putin’s Invite

Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba, and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia will not be attending the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, according to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.

The summit, which will run from Tuesday, Oct. 22 to Thursday, Oct. 24, brings together leaders from key emerging economies, but several leaders have withdrawn due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’

The summit is the biggest such meeting in Russia since it ordered troops into Ukraine and comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to demonstrate that Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the two-and-a-half-year offensive have failed.

Ushakov confirmed that Brazil’s Lula da Silva is unable to attend due to health issues, while Cuba’s Diaz-Canel chose to stay home to address serious energy problems. Both nations will still be represented by high-level delegations led by each state’s foreign ministers.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also announced his absence, citing a schedule conflict involving a visit from Greek, Polish, and EU leaders in Belgrade. Vučić assured Putin that Serbia would be sending four top government officials in his place.

Despite these absences, the summit is expected to gather about two dozen leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also confirmed his attendance – a decision that was severely criticized in Kyiv

Guterres has repeatedly criticized Moscow’s military offensive on Ukraine and said it sets a “dangerous precedent” for the world, but Ukraine’s foreign ministry said meeting Putin now “does not advance the cause of peace” and “damages the UN’s reputation.”

“The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin,” the ministry said in a posting on X.

Guterres has called for a “just peace” that respects international law and Ukraine’s “territorial integrity.”

The BRICS meeting is seen as a key moment for Russia to reinforce alliances amid Western efforts to isolate Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.

Key agenda items include discussions on a BRICS-led payment system to challenge SWIFT and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the summit to demonstrate that Russia remains a global player with strong international ties, despite Western sanctions.