BRICS leaders are meeting in Brazil for a two-day summit. But China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin are skipping the gathering.

A summit of leaders from the BRICS group of major emerging economies kicks off in Brazil Sunday – but without the top leader of its most powerful member.

The 17th BRICS Summit kicked off on Sunday in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, bringing together leaders from major emerging economies--but without the attendance of one of the top leaders of one of its most powerful members.