Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit scheduled for August in South Africa. Instead, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, will be attending in his place.
Source: Office of the President of South Africa.
The office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa will participate in the summit. By mutual agreement, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin will not be present at the summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, according to the statement.
The office stated that a comprehensive statement on the main issues to be discussed at the summit, as well as other related matters of foreign policy, will be released in due course. It should be noted that the 15th BRICS summit will take place in Johannesburg from August 22nd to 24th.
Why is Putin not attending the BRICS summit?
It should be noted that as a participant of the Rome Statute, which governs the International Criminal Court (ICC), South Africa is obligated to arrest Putin if he attends the BRICS summit.
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin and the authorized representative for children’s rights at the Russian presidency, Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of orchestrating the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, which is considered a war crime.
On July 18, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa stated that the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming BRICS summit would be an act of declaring war against Russia. Previously, the prosecution in South Africa filed an application with the High Court to compel the government to arrest Putin if he arrives in South Africa.