French President wants to attend BRICS summit

Foreign Minister Colonna said on June 20 that she had informed the South African side of French President Macron's "interest" in attending the BRICS summit as an observer.

"I informed my counterpart... of the President's (Macron's) willingness and interest in pursuing the dialogue that France maintains with BRICS," Colonna said in response to a journalist's question during a visit to South Africa.

BRICS is a group of major emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The 15th BRICS Summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22-24.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a closing speech at the European Air and Missile Defense Conference in Paris on June 19.

It is not common for other foreign leaders to attend BRICS meetings, according to AFP. If it happens, President Macron's attendance at the BRICS summit "will be a change to the BRICS engagement model that we have had so far," South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said on June 19. She added that who is invited to the upcoming BRICS summit will be up to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who currently chairs BRICS.

What did President Putin say about the prospects of peace talks with Ukraine at the meeting of African leaders?

During a phone call with President Ramaphosa earlier this month, President Macron reportedly mentioned the possibility of receiving an invitation to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, according to RT. Ramaphosa is expected to travel to Paris to attend a summit on a new global financial pact from June 22-23.

President Macron made the move amid particularly tense relations with Russia, according to RT. President Macron accused Moscow of spreading anti-French propaganda in African countries, where Paris has lost influence in recent years.

The French president has also sent heavy weapons to Ukraine and backed a peace plan drafted by Kyiv that Moscow has strongly opposed, according to RT.

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