Although Vladimir Putin will not be attending the meeting of BRICS nations being held in South Africa (there is an international warrant for his arrest for war crimes), he will be in contact via a video-link. Russia will also be represented in person by foreign secretary Lavrov.
One of the subjects for discussion in Johannesburg may be Argentina's application for membership, which had the support of China when it was first made. Since that time, however, China's domestic economy has suffered a down-turn through a collapse in the property market, a fall in consumer spending and USA's tightened sanctions. Sanctions are beginning to bite on Russia, too. One wonders what would be the effect of including a permanently-indebted nation like Argentina.
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