The president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to Russia this Sunday for the BRICS summit after suffering a domestic accident, although he will participate by videoconference, the presidency reported.
Lula was expected by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who will bring together around twenty world leaders in the city of Kazan between October 22 and 24 for a summit of allies and partners aimed at demonstrating Russian power and the failure of the policy of isolation of the West due to the war in Ukraine.
Lula, who will turn 79 next Sunday, “on medical advice will not travel to the BRICS summit in Kazandue to a temporary impediment to long-term air travel,” the presidency said in a statement, without details about what happened to the president.
However, he will participate by videoconference in the meeting and will maintain his work agenda this week, he added.
The Syrian-Lebanese Hospital of Brasilia reported for its part that Lula was admitted on Saturday “after a domestic accident, with a short-blunt wound in the occipital region.”
fall in the bathroom
According to local media, on Saturday night Lula fell in the bathroom of the presidential residence in Brasilia and hit the back of his head. He had to receive stitches.
The flight to Russia was scheduled to take off on Sunday from Brasilia at 5:00 p.m., but the medical team recommended the president “avoid long-distance air travel,” although he said he could “carry out his other activities.”
The Foreign Ministry announced that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira will lead the Brazilian delegation, who will fly to Kazan this Sunday night.
The BRICS summit was going to be the first meeting between Lula and Putin in the Brazilian’s third term. In September, the two spoke by phone about a joint proposal by Brazil and China to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin, the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for the deportation of Ukrainian children, of which kyiv accuses Moscow, refused to go to the previous BRICS summit in South Africa.
On Friday he announced that he will not attend Rio de Janeiro to participate in the G20 presidential summit on November 18 and 19, so as not to “disturb” it.
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