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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has postponed his journey to Russia for the upcoming BRICS summit due to a head injury, his office reported on Sunday. This unexpected development has raised concerns about his health and the implications for Brazil’s engagement in international discussions.
While the circumstances surrounding the injury remain unclear, it was reported that President Lula was transported to a hospital, where doctors identified a cut to the back of his head. They subsequently advised him to avoid long-distance travel, prioritizing his recovery over international engagements.
Reports from local media reveal that President Lula fell in his bathroom on Saturday evening, causing a cut that necessitated stitches. Such accidents can happen to anyone and remind us of the vulnerabilities that accompany daily life, even for a sitting president.
The 78-year-old President Lula is set to participate in the BRICS meeting via videoconference, as his office has announced. He will also proceed with his regular activities this week at the presidential palace in Brasília, reflecting his unwavering commitment to his role as a leader.
Kazan will host a three-day summit starting Tuesday, bringing together approximately 20 leaders from BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—alongside representatives from partner countries. The summit aims to facilitate dialogue and collaboration on critical international issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin convened the meeting in what some analysts say was a defiant gesture to show that Russia’s war in Ukraine has not left it isolated.
Lula had been scheduled to leave Brasilia early Sunday evening for Russia.
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The BRICS summit would have been Lula’s first face-to-face meeting with Putin this year. In September, the two men spoke by phone to discuss a joint Brazilian-Chinese proposal to end the Ukraine war.
Putin skipped the last BRICS summit in South Africa after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest order for him over Kyiv’s complaint that invading troops had illegally deported Ukrainian children to Russia.
On Friday, Putin announced that he would not attend a G20 summit in Brazil in November because his arrival might “disrupt” the conference.
He insisted that the ICC warrant for his arrest was not a factor, saying “that rulings of this type can be got around very easily.”
