In a surprising turn of events, Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced that he will not be attending the upcoming summit of the BRICS group of nations in South Africa. The decision was made "by mutual agreement," according to a statement released by South Africa's presidency on July 19.
Instead of Putin, the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the summit. Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for president Cyril Ramaphosa, confirmed this in the statement, providing no further details about the reasons behind Putin's absence.
The absence of Putin from the summit raises questions about South Africa's position as the host country. Being a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), South Africa would, in theory, be obligated to arrest Putin if he were to attend. In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on allegations of war crimes, creating a dilemma for South Africa.
This predicament has sparked intense debates both within South Africa and internationally regarding the execution of the arrest warrant. South Africa has maintained a stance of neutrality on the conflict in Ukraine, and the country's historical ties to the Kremlin further complicate the matter. In a similar situation in 2015, South Africa failed to arrest Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who was also subject to an ICC warrant.
The summit, scheduled for August, will still see the presence of the leaders of Brazil, India, and South Africa, as confirmed by the presidency. The BRICS group, which initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, and China when formed in 2009 as BRIC, expanded to include South Africa the following year upon receiving an invitation from China.
Interestingly, other countries have expressed their desire to join the bloc. Ethiopia, Iran, and Argentina have all submitted applications to become members of the BRICS group, indicating the increasing significance and influence of the bloc on the global stage.
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