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Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit by mutual agreement, the South African Presidency said on Wednesday.

Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the presidency added in a statement.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa’s readiness to host the 15th summit of BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It will be the first BRICS summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Putin will instead participate in the BRICS summit in the format of video conference, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters later on Wednesday.