JOHANNESBURG:Russian President Vladimir Putin will not personally attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August, as confirmed by his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Wednesday. This decision puts an end to months of speculation arising from an arrest warrant issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
President Ramaphosa’s office stated that Putin’s absence from the conference was agreed upon mutually, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attending in his place. However, Russian state media RIA Novosti later reported that Putin would participate via video link. The leaders of other BRICS member countries – Brazil, India, and China – are still expected to attend the summit in person.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant against Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova in March, related to an alleged scheme involving the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine.
In the aftermath of the arrest warrant, South African lawmakers have offered contradictory statements regarding the country’s obligation to arrest Putin if he were to attend the summit. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC, South Africa is obligated to arrest individuals indicted by the court.
The decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government deals a significant blow to Moscow’s efforts to regain solidarity with key allies, as Russia faces increasing isolation following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Western diplomats have criticized South African lawmakers for what they perceive as a show of support towards Russia during the conflict. Despite South African government officials maintaining neutrality, they have refrained from condemning Russia in United Nations General Assembly votes.
Earlier this year, South Africa hosted joint naval exercises with China and Russia, drawing accusations from the US ambassador of loading arms onto a sanctioned Russian vessel in December. However, Cape Town has denied any wrongdoing.
The recent announcement from South Africa comes after the disclosure of a confidential affidavit by President Ramaphosa, which was ordered to be released by a Johannesburg high court judge on Tuesday. This affidavit was in response to an opposition party’s legal attempt to compel Putin’s arrest.
Ramaphosa cited “obvious problems” with executing an arrest request against President Putin, mentioning Russia’s clear stance that such an action would be seen as a declaration of war. He emphasized that risking engagement in war with Russia would be inconsistent with South Africa’s constitution.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refuted Ramaphosa’s claims, stating that such warnings were not conveyed, and it was evident to all what encroaching on the Russian president’s position would mean.
This situation echoes a previous incident in 2015 when South African authorities failed to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who remains under ICC indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Darfur genocide, during a visit to the country.
