Prez Putin has accepted invite to attend BRICS Summit: South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal

South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal has said that President Putin have accepted the invitation to attend the BRICS summit in the country in the month of August. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said, Russia is " preparing to attend the summit. And South Africa is preparing to host an in-person summit in August this year." The comments assume significance since international criminal court has issued a warrant against President Putin which raises concern over his participation. The Sherpa also spoke about expansion of the grouping, explaining, 20 countries have formally or informally approached BRICS leaders to become full members of BRICS. BRICS is an acronym for 5 countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. One of the largest groupings in terms of population, the group has leading economies of the world. Asked about India, the Sherpa Anil said, "India has been a founding member of the BRICS and has played a critical role over the past 15 years'.