MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in an extraordinary online BRICS summit on the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin press service said on Monday.

"On November 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in an extraordinary BRICS summit (in the videoconference format) to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," it said.

According to the press service of the president of South Africa, the current BRICS’ presidency, the meeting will focus, in particular, on the situation in the Gaza Strip. Along with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the association’s new members - Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates - were invited to take part.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will take part in the meeting, which is expected to yield a joint statement.