An international arrest warrant keeps Putin away from the BRICS summit

Last updated: 16:46

South Africa’s presidential office has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS leaders’ summit in August, according to Bloomberg.

Putin’s decision means that the South African authorities will avoid execution The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrested the Russian president.

According to the relevant announcement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the summit instead of Putin. The decision not to attend Putin was also reportedly taken by mutual consent. However, according to the Kremlin, “Putin will participate via the Internet remotely.”

The BRICS summit will be held from August 22 to 24.

According to the statement, the leaders of other BRICS countries – Brazil, India and China – will participate in the summit, which is the first meeting since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. “At the appropriate time, a statement will be issued on the issues to be discussed at the summit,” the statement said.

It is reported that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant in March 2023, accusing Putin of being responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of atrocities during its invasion of Ukraine.

But the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on suspicion of illegal deportation of children and illegal expulsion of people from the territory of Ukraine to Russia.

Russia has not hidden a program on the basis of which it has transferred thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia, but it is presenting it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and abandoned children in the war zone.

At the same time, the court also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alexeyevna Lvova Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on the same charges.

Moscow said the arrest warrant was legally invalid because Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Ramaphosa: To arrest Putin would be a declaration of war

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier that a court order to force him to abide by arresting Putin if he decides to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month would be tantamount to a declaration of war.

South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has appealed to the country’s Supreme Court to force the government to honor an ICC order against Putin. South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court and is bound by its decisions.

Ramaphosa said earlier that “Russia has made it clear that arresting Putin would be a declaration of war against Russia.” The International Criminal Court itself has expressed concern about the Russian nuclear threat, following the arrest warrant. South Africa does not have the power to declare or wage war on Russia. Nor do they like it.”

The Kremlin said today that Russia did not tell South Africa that detaining Putin under an ICC warrant would be tantamount to “war”. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that anyone understands – without having to explain it to them – what it means to try to violate Putin’s rights.

South Africa says it is neutral in the conflict in Ukraine, but has been criticized by Western powers for its friendly stance towards Russia, a historic ally of the ruling African National Congress.