Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will not attend the upcoming BRICS conference in South Africa, which is slated for August. South Africa’s president made the statement on Wednesday, July 19, noting that Putin’s absence is “by mutual agreement.” Instead, he will take part in the high-level negotiations from a distance, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov representing the Russian Federation at the summit. Given the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) pending arrest order for Putin on allegations of illegally deporting Ukrainian children, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made the choice not to receive Putin in person.
Putin’s Remote Participation in BRICS Summit
According to the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, President Putin will participate in the BRICS summit via video conference, ensuring full-fledged participation in the high-level meeting of the economic heavyweights Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
South Africa’s Dilemma Hosting the Summit
The decision for Putin to stay away from South Africa was not without controversy. As a member of the ICC, South Africa faces the dilemma of potentially having to arrest Putin if he were to attend, given the arrest warrant issued in March for alleged war crimes. This situation led to intense debates both within South Africa and the international community about the possibility of executing the warrant, considering South Africa’s stance of neutrality on the Ukraine conflict and historical ties to the Kremlin.
Ramaphosa’s Defense of Not Arresting Putin
In response to an application by the Democratic Alliance (DA), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa justified the decision not to arrest Putin. He argued that arresting the Russian President would have amounted to a declaration of war on Russia and could undermine the country’s efforts to mediate and find a peaceful solution to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ramaphosa led a seven-country African peace delegation to talks in Kyiv and Saint Petersburg last month as part of South Africa’s efforts to help end the conflict.
As South Africa takes on the role of chairing the BRICS group, it faces challenging decisions and international pressure in light of the ICC’s arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the other leaders of the BRICS countries are expected to attend the summit in person, Putin’s remote participation is aimed at ensuring the success of the meeting. President Ramaphosa remains optimistic about the summit’s outcome and calls on the nation to extend hospitality to the various delegates attending from different parts of the continent and the globe.
