BRICS Summit opens without Xi Jinping and Putin: Why are Chinese and Russian presidents skipping Brazil meet?

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The 17th BRICS Summit commenced in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, bringing together top leaders from major emerging economies—though conspicuously without two of its most powerful founding members.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both absent from this year's gathering, sparking speculation about shifting dynamics and priorities within the increasingly diverse bloc.
Xi Jinping missing in action

This marks the first time since assuming power in 2012 that Xi Jinping has skipped a BRICS summit. China’s Foreign Ministry has cited only "scheduling conflicts" as the reason, sending Premier Li Qiang in his place.

Xi's absence comes at a moment when BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is undergoing a major transformation. Since 2024, the bloc has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Indonesia.

“Xi Jinping has been missing in action from several international events recently, and BRICS may simply not be his greatest priority right now,” Chong Ja Ian, associate professor at the National University of Singapore, told CNN. He noted that Beijing may have limited expectations from this summit amid pressing domestic concerns, including China’s ongoing economic slowdown and intensifying trade tensions with the United States.

Xi’s decision to skip the summit is also viewed as a missed opportunity to reinforce China’s leadership among Global South nations and position itself as a counterweight to Western influence—an image Beijing has long cultivated.

Putin's absence explained
Russian President Vladimir Putin, also a key member of the BRICS core, is participating virtually, avoiding international travel due to an active International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant related to alleged war crimes in Ukraine. While Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute, hosting Putin in person would have placed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government in a diplomatic quandary.

Putin’s virtual participation follows the precedent set at last year’s summit in South Africa, where he also joined remotely. The ICC accuses him of overseeing the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children—charges the Kremlin has denied.

Observers say the absence of both Xi and Putin from the summit’s main stage highlights a growing ideological drift within BRICS. According to The Guardian, the recent expansion may have undermined the bloc’s original identity as a tight-knit coalition counterbalancing Western dominance. With new members at different economic stages and political leanings, internal coherence has weakened.

While China has historically pushed for BRICS to serve as a challenger to the G7-led global order, Brazil—this year’s host—is steering the summit in a different direction. President Silva’s administration aims to focus on tangible global governance reforms, including green energy transitions, fairer global trade practices, and vaccine cooperation.

Brazilian officials are reportedly keen to avoid letting the summit be dominated by polarising rhetoric on issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.