The Presidency of South Africa announced on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be present at the upcoming BRICS nations summit in their country next month. This decision puts an end to the prolonged speculation about the possibility of his detention.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a BRICS nations summit in South Africa next month, the country’s presidency said on Wednesday, ending months of speculation he could be detained.
Putin’s potential visit has been a thorny diplomatic issue for Pretoria.
The Russian leader is the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, a provision that South Africa as an ICC member would be expected to implement were he to set foot in the country.
South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS group, a gathering of heavyweights that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China, and which sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination.
Putin was formally invited to a BRICS summit due to take place in Johannesburg between August 22 and 24, but Pretoria has been under heavy domestic and international pressure not to host him.
Putin is sought by the ICC over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
In court papers released on Tuesday, Ramaphosa wrote that arresting him would have amounted to a declaration of war on Russia.
The assessment was given in an affidavit responding to an application by the country’s leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which aimed at forcing the government’s hand and ensuring the Kremlin leader was handed over to the ICC if he were to arrive.
The affidavit revealed South Africa was seeking an exemption under ICC rules, arguing that enacting the arrest could have threatened the “security, peace and order of the state”.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
