South Africa’s presidency announced on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be in attendance at the upcoming BRICS group of nations summit in South Africa, citing a mutual agreement for his absence.
According to an official statement, the presidency has informed that the Russian delegation at the upcoming BRICS group of nations summit in South Africa will be led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as President Vladimir Putin will not be in attendance.
Hosting the summit posed a predicament for South Africa due to its membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC), which would hypothetically oblige the country to apprehend President Putin for alleged war crimes if he were to participate.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. Furthermore, the forthcoming summit will be graced by the presence of leaders from Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, as confirmed by the presidency.