Putin will not go to the BRICS summit in South Africa, where he could be arrested

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg by mutual agreement, according to the website of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office. The trip was in question because of an arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Russian delegation to the 15th BRICS summit to be held in Johannesburg on August 22-24 will be headed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the South African presidential office said on Tuesday.

This was later confirmed by the Kremlin.

"President Putin has decided to participate in the BRICS summit in the format of a video conference call. It will be a full participation. Minister Lavrov will be present at the meeting itself," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The trip to South Africa could be Putin's first official foreign visit since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March on charges of deporting Ukrainian children.

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which obliges it to comply with ICC rulings.

Unsuccessful attempts to resolve this conflict led to the South African authorities themselves making efforts to convince Putin not to come to the summit.

Background. As reported, President Ramaphosa said that Russia had threatened war if Putin was arrested in South Africa on a warrant from the Hague Tribunal.