Putin Will Not Attend BRICS Summit; Lavrov to Represent Russia

The office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the upcoming BRICS summit in the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who could potentially face arrest in South Africa due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling, will not attend the summit, reports kommersant.ru.

A press release on Ramaphosa's website states that the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa will personally participate in the summit.

“By mutual agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit; however, the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,” the South African president's office has stated.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. According to the court, they are “presumably responsible for war crimes related to the illegal deportation of the population (children) from Ukraine.” South Africa is subject to ICC jurisdiction, but Ramaphosa has stated that the arrest of the Russian president under the ICC's ruling would be tantamount to declaring war.