BRICS Summit in Brazil to Proceed Without Xi and Putin Amid Diplomatic Strains

27 June, 2025:

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to miss the upcoming BRICS Summit in Brazil, scheduled for early next month. If confirmed, this will be his first absence from the high-level gathering in over ten years. 

Although there has been no official announcement yet, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a close aide of Xi and currently China’s Premier, is expected to lead the Chinese delegation at the summit, scheduled for 6–7 July. He had also represented China at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023.

The development has reportedly not been well received by Brazilian officials. According to the SCMP, a senior source in Brasília stated that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to Beijing in May as a gesture of goodwill. He hoped the Chinese president would respond by attending the Rio summit in person.

Beijing has officially mentioned a scheduling conflict. However, Brazilian officials think there might be other reasons behind this. According to the South China Morning Post, some people in China believe the invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state dinner may have affected the decision. The visuals of that moment, with Modi and President Lula in the spotlight, could have made Xi seem, as one diplomat stated, “a supporting actor.”

Though Chinese officials have noted that Xi and Lula have already met twice in less than a year. Their first meeting was during a state visit to Brasília in November 2023. They met again at the China-CELAC forum in Beijing in May 2024. This suggests that another in-person meeting may not be necessary right now.

On the other hand, Chinese delegates are currently engaged in SCO meetings, where Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has taken a tough stance on cross-border terrorism, even declining to sign a joint declaration in Qingdao over the issue.

Similarly Russian President Vladimir Putin is also not expected to go to Brazil for the summit, according to media reports. The absence of both leaders, who are two of the bloc’s most influential figures, would greatly change the dynamics of this year’s meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping.

In Moscow, Kremlin Foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced on Wednesday: “Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia at the upcoming BRICS summit in Brazil, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the event via video link.”

Brazil, as the current rotating chair of BRICS, is hosting its regular 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.

The BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc has been expanded with five additional members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, Brazil, the group’s chair, ratified the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) not recognized by Russia.

On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children’s rights, for their alleged involvement in war crimes "consisting of the illegal deportation of the population," including children, and their illegal transfer to Russia. The Security Council deputy chairman then slammed the ICC statute as "legally null and void," Russian news agency reported.