Putin to take part in emergency BRICS summit – Kremlin

The meeting will be dedicated to the ongoing escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Moscow has said

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, will join an emergency video conference with other BRICS leaders on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing escalation between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group, the Kremlin said in a statement on Monday. The presidential administration provided no further details about the upcoming event.

Earlier on Monday, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he will chair an extraordinary joint meeting on the situation in Gaza. South Africa currently chairs the BRICS group, which also includes Russia, China, Brazil, and India.

In addition to the regular BRICS members, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join the event as well.

All the participants will comment on the “current humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the presidential office’s statement said, adding that the leaders are then expected to adopt a joint statement on the issue. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will join the meeting as well, according to the statement.

Israel has been conducting a major military operation in Gaza for more than a month by now. The move came in response to a surprise attack by Hamas, which killed some 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. More than 200 people were also taken hostage by the militants.

West Jerusalem retaliated with a massive bombing campaign against Gaza followed by a ground operation. The death toll linked to the Israeli actions in the enclave has surpassed 11,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Russia has repeatedly called for a speedy ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT that the only way to end Israeli-Palestinian violence is through the UN-backed framework of a two-state solution that requires a genuine effort by all parties to implement.