Vladimir Putin will be the odd one out when leaders from the BRICS economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meet in Johannesburg this week. While all the others are set to attend in person, Putin will dial in on a video call. That is because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for the Russian president, which put summit host South Africa in a sticky situation and ultimately resulted in Putin staying at home. The group of emerging economies holds three days of meetings starting Tuesday, and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping is making a rare trip overseas for the bloc's first in-person summit since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
