19 July, New Delhi According to the country’s president, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a Brics conference in South Africa next month, a media source said.
After a South African official said that any effort to detain Vladimir Putin would amount to a declaration of war against Russia, the announcement was made. This is so that Putin won’t be arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he leaves Russian territory, according to the BBC.
South Africa, a signatory to the ICC, is anticipated to assist in the capture of Putin in such situation. Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, will represent the nation during the two-day conference.
Putin will still participate digitally in the Brics summit, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Some people see the Brics grouping as an alternative to the G7 club of developed countries.
Putin’s decision to skip the meeting was characterized as “mutual” in a statement by South Africa’s president, according to the BBC. It was reached after “numerous consultations” on the event.
Russian supporters have criticized the choice, claiming that South Africa ought to have persisted and utilized its sovereignty to defend and safeguard its “friend.”
Putin’s invitation from South Africa, which was extended before the ICC charged him with war crimes in Ukraine, has generated debate both domestically and globally, according to the BBC.
Peskov claimed it was “clear to everyone what [that kind of] infringement against the head of the Russian state would mean” but disputed that Moscow had advised South Africa that detaining its President would constitute an act of war.
