South African Vice President Claims Putin Wants to Attend BRICS Summit Despite Arrest Warrant
The South African Vice President’s Statement
The South African Vice President said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to attend a BRICS summit in the African country, which he is trying to convince to avoid legal and diplomatic consequences in connection with his international arrest warrant.
South Africa’s Obligation
South Africa is a signatory to the International Criminal Court treaty, which means it is obligated to arrest Putin on the basis of an indictment brought against him for war crimes in Ukraine.
Potential Strained Relations
The South African authorities are likely to violate the treaty and not arrest Putin, but allowing him to freely attend the summit will strain relations with the West.
Status of Putin’s Participation
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that discussions on the formula for Putin’s participation in the upcoming BRICS summit are still ongoing.
Commenting on the statement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that the BRICS summit will be held in South Africa with a personal presence, and the heads of the five member states of the group will take part in it, Peskov said: “The formula for Putin’s participation has not yet been finally determined … discussions are ongoing.” Peskov promised to announce “the final decision after it is made.”
About the BRICS Group
It is noteworthy that the BRICS group includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the summit will be held in Johannesburg from 22 to 24 August.
Earlier on Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the BRICS summit will be held in person with the participation of all heads of the organization’s five member states.
“There were rumors that the summit would be held online, no … it would be held in person, there would be many heads of state, and most importantly, the heads of the five BRICS countries would take part in the summit,” Ramaphosa reports Euetteness News radio.
Ramaphosa stated this during a meeting of the BRICS Business Council in Johannesburg.
This Article Russian President Vladimir Putin Wants to Attend BRICS Summit in South Africa Despite Arrest Warrant: Vice President was first Published on World Weekly News
