Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to South Africa next month for an international summit. In his place he sends foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
The countries have decided this in joint consultation, reports the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africa, as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is obliged to arrest Putin if he enters the country. The court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
Ramaphosa hoped an exception could be made under ICC rules. In the event of an arrest, he fears risks to national security.
The summit in August belongs to the BRICS group. This group consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
South Africa’s current president had invited the leaders of those countries to the fifteenth summit, but the invitation to Putin raised questions because of the arrest warrant. According to Ramaphosa’s office, the leaders of the four other BRICS countries will attend the summit.
2023-07-19 11:38:00
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