Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes committed in Ukraine, will not attend a summit of BRICS countries in South Africa next month, the South African presidency said Wednesday.
“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister, Mr Sergey Lavrov,” the South African government said in a statement.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin over the forced transfer of children to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
As a signatory to the ICC, it would have been bound to enforce the warrant and arrest Putin if he visited the country for a planned leaders’ summit of the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — in Pretoria in August.
On Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that his country had “obvious problems” with arresting Putin, which would constitute a “declaration of war.”
Russia, which has extended its influence in Africa in recent years — including through the Wagner paramilitary group — is due to host another meeting with African leaders in St. Petersburg on July 27-28.
The BRICS summit will thus be attended by leaders from Brazil, China, India and South Africa, according to the presidency’s statement.