Russian President Vladimir Putin will start a major Latin America tour next week that will take him to Cuba and Argentina ahead of a summit in Brazil for the BRICS emerging economies, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The Kremlin says Putin visits Cuba next Friday. There he will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro and Fidel Castro, the father of the Cuban Revolution.
Putin will travel from Cuba to Argentina for trade and energy talks with Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.
In Brazil, Putin will attend the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, in which Brazil will hand over hosting duties to Russia for the 2018 tournament.
The summit for the BRICS group of developing countries will follow on July 15 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Almost three billion people live in the five BRICS nations.
