Putin, Xi and UN Secretary-General Gutteres to attend virtual meeting on Israel-Hamas war

By GERALD IMRAY
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders from the BRICS bloc of developing countries will hold a virtual meeting on the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres will also participate. The leaders of fellow BRICS members Brazil, India and South Africa, as well as Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates — which are set to join the bloc in January — will also take part. The meeting will be chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country is the current chair of BRICS. Ramaphosa’s office says the leaders are expected to deliver statements on the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza.