Kremlin Aide on Macron's Possible Visit to BRICS Summit: Guests Often Invited to Summits

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Wednesday that he is not aware about the plans of French President Emmanuel Macron to take part in the BRICS summit hosted South Africa, but noted that such summits often have guests who are not directly involved in their work.

"Naturally, the host will invite, a lot depends on it, some issues of organizational and practical nature have not yet been regulated ... At the summits, there are often guests who are not directly involved in the work of the BRICS," Ushakov told reporters, noting that he did not see reports on Macron's plans.

BRICS should not push away those who want to join it, but it is important that the association continues to work in a consolidated manner, Yury Ushakov stressed.

"A lot of countries, both large and medium-sized, are interested in joining the work of BRICS. Some openly declare their participation as full-fledged members, and ask to be accepted immediately. Other countries are interested in maintaining possible cooperation and being dialogue partners with this organization. There are many different ways," Ushakov told a briefing, adding that no countries should be pushed away.

The issue of expanding the association demands a thorough discussion, the official said.

"But at the same time, we need to make sure that this organization continues to work in a consolidated format, not diverted by some different approaches that in essence do not coincide with the interests of the founding countries," Ushakov added.

The practical issues of holding the BRICS summit have not yet been resolved, it is unclear how the host country will implement the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ushakov added.

"As for the BRICS summit... It is scheduled for the end of August, and many more issues of the practical organization of the summit have not been resolved. In particular, we can say directly that the question of how the South African side means to execute the illegal decision of the International Criminal Court is unclear," Ushakov told a briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not waiting for the results of the US election, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Wednesday, commenting on the words of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who believes that the settlement in Ukraine is connected with the US election.

"It would be an exaggeration to say that Putin is sitting and waiting for the results of the election in the United States. Of course, it is probably of interest to any normal person, but there are no super-expectations .... Putin is not particularly waiting for the results," Ushakov told reporters.

Earlier this week, Borrell said that negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine are unlikely to begin before the US presidential election, which is scheduled for 2024. The EU official believes that Putin is waiting for the results of this election.