Brazil’s president Lula cancels BRICS summit trip to Russia following head injury

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to Russia for the BRICS summit after suffering a head injury that required stitches.

The 78-year-old president fell in his bathroom on Saturday night, cutting the back of his head, and was advised by doctors against long-distance travel.

Despite this setback, Lula will still participate in the BRICS meeting via video conference and continue with his normal duties at the presidential palace in Brasilia.

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The three-day summit, convened by Russian President Vladimir Putin, aims to bring together around 20 world leaders from BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – as well as their partners, in the city of Kazan starting Tuesday.

Interestingly, Putin’s decision to host the summit is seen by analysts as a defiant move to demonstrate that Russia’s war in Ukraine hasn’t isolated it.

Lula and Putin were supposed to meet face-to-face for the first time this year, having last spoken in September about a joint Brazilian-Chinese proposal to end the Ukraine war.

Recall that president Putin skipped the last BRICS summit in South Africa after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him over allegations of illegally deporting Ukrainian children to Russia.

He also announced that he won’t attend the G20 summit in Brazil in November, citing potential disruptions, but claimed the ICC warrant wasn’t a factor.