Putin won't be shaking hands

Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be shaking hands at a major international summit opening Tuesday in South Africa, discouraged from attending in person because of criminal charges linked to his invasion of Ukraine.

The BRICS summit normally draws the heads of state for the five member nations that include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. But host South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russian official Maria Lvuova-Belova for an alleged scheme to steal Ukrainian children and bring them to Russia for adoption. South Africa would be obliged to arrest the Russian leader if he traveled to the meeting in Johannesburg.

Hi there, I'm Nicole with the latest news on the Russia-Ukraine conflict This week we're diving into why the BRICS summit matters on the global stage. But first, read these updates from Paste BN's Russia-Ukraine live blog (and keep scrolling below for more world news):

• Recent drone attacks that battered Russian bombers in bases far from the Ukraine border were the work of saboteurs directed by Kyiv’s military intelligence services, Ukraine media claimed Tuesday. The strikes were conducted Saturday on the Soltsy air base, more than 360 miles north of the Ukraine border, and the Shaikovka air base about 200 miles from Ukraine.
• The U.S. would be willing to train Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighter jets if demand for the training exceeds what Europeans can provide, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said. Denmark and the Netherlands are leading the training effort and have agreed to give dozens of the planes to Ukraine.
• National Security chief Oleksiy Danilov said Ukraine's military would most likely liberate Crimea "if the aggressor country does not understand by that time that it needs to leave our territory We have no other option."

Ukraine in the backdrop of BRICS

Putin has pledged to fully participate remotely in the BRICS summit. And he has a big stake in the conference as the leaders decide on plans to expand the bloc, already home to 40% of the world’s population and about one-third of global economic output. More than 20 countries have inquired about joining, South African officials said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are attending in person.

Both China and Russia favor adding more countries to bolster a kind of coalition -- even if it's only symbolic — amid China's economic friction with the U.S. and Russia's Cold War-like standoff with the West because of the war in Ukraine.

And the summit is an opportunity for Putin to demonstrate a sort of global goodwill while cutting Ukraine out of the picture. Having halted a deal allowing the passage of grain out of Ukraine last month, experts say Putin might use the BRICS gathering to announce more free Russian grain shipments to developing countries, as he has already done for several African nations.

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