KAZAN, October 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday spoke by telephone with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who expressed his intention to participate in the BRICS summit by video link despite his health problems.

Putin mentioned some details of his conversation with Lula at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan.

"I’ve just had a conversation with Brazil’s President Mr. Lula. As you know, he had to stay home for medical reasons. He is very upset that he could not come in person, but he intends to join us tomorrow by video link," Putin said.

"I told him, however, that it would be 4:00 a.m. local time. It’s not very humane to stay awake at this early hour," the Russian leader added. "But he still insists: 'I wish to participate personally, at least by video link.' I would like to convey the best wishes from him," Putin told Xi Jinping.

Lula da Silva suffered an injury on October 20. He hit his head after falling in his home. Doctors advised him to avoid long flights for several days, so he canceled his trip to the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 22-24. The Brazilian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24. The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, became its full-fledged members. The Kazan summit will be the first to be attended by the new members of the association. Representatives of over 30 countries are expected to take part. Among the foreign leaders who have arrived in Kazan are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.