Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS conference in South Africa in August, according to the South African president on Wednesday.
Instead, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the summit, together with the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa. The South African president stated in a statement that the decision was made “by mutual agreement” between the two countries.
South Africa faced a diplomatic quandary as a result of Putin’s anticipated presence at the summit. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest order for Russian President Vladimir Putin for potential war crimes related to the Ukrainian conflict.
As an ICC member, South Africa would be obliged to arrest Putin were he to appear in person at the summit.
On Tuesday, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa asked permission from the ICC not to arrest Putin, according to a local court submission published on Tuesday. Ramaphosa said that arresting Putin would amount to a declaration of war.
The Kremlin responded on Wednesday saying Russia did not tell South Africa that arresting Putin on an ICC arrest warrant would mean “war”.
South Africa has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it is neutral and favours dialogue. However, the country has been criticised by Western powers for its closeness to Moscow.
