The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin yesterday informed the leaders of China, India, South Africa and Brazil that the growing influence of their BRICS coalition will lead to a multi-polar world.
Addressing the summit in Johannesburg by video yesterday having failed to attend, Mr Putin pointed out that he opposed the sway exerted by the G7 and other western-led groups.
Africa Today News, New York reports that he was unable to attend in person because he faces an international arrest warrant over Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the expansion of Brics, saying it would make global governance fairer.
Countries including Iran, Ethiopia and Algeria have expressed interest in joining. However, Brazil has cautioned against making the grouping an alternative to the G7.
A press conference planned for later has been cancelled with leaders locked in closed negotiations.
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In another report, the President of the United States, Joe Biden has declared that he was ‘not surprised’ at news that Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is the head of the Wagner mercenary group, died in a plane crash in Russia.
Speaking on Wednesday night, Biden said; ‘I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised’.
‘There’s not much that happens in Russia that (President Vladimir) Putin is not behind,’ Biden told reporters after taking an exercise class with his family near Lake Tahoe.
‘But I don’t know enough to know the answer’ of what may have happened to the powerful former Putin henchman, he said.
Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list of the aircraft, which crashed northwest of Moscow, according to Russian state media.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the crash came two months after he launched Wagner on a short-lived rebellious march on Moscow, aiming to force the removal of the country’s military leadership.