MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The Ukrainian conflict is likely to be on the agenda at the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum scheduled for July 11-12 in St. Petersburg, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) parliamentary faction, told TASS in an interview.
"Many bilateral and multilateral meetings are planned on the sidelines of the forum. I am sure that this topic (Ukraine - TASS) will be widely discussed," the lawmaker said, answering a related question.
Slutsky explained that the majority of the forum’s participants have already voiced their position on the Ukrainian conflict in some way, favoring a diplomatic settlement of the conflict. "Particularly, China has proposed its peace initiative. What I can say regarding the Kiev regime’s crimes related to children - these topics are inseparable. Of course, we will take every opportunity to inform the people about the Ukrainian armed forces’ atrocities towards minors," Slutsky added.
The 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum will take place in St. Petersburg on July 11-12. Russia assumed the one-year rotating chairmanship of BRICS on January 1, 2024. Since its inception in 2006, BRICS has experienced two phases of expansion. In 2011, South Africa joined the original group, which included Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Argentina was one of six new members invited to join the association in August 2023, but it declined at the end of December. On January 1, 2024, five new members of the association began full-time work in BRICS — Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia.