The country’s president confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a BRICS nations conference in South Africa next month, putting an end to months of rumors.
Putin’s probable visit has presented South Africa with difficult diplomatic challenges.
A warrant for the Russian president’s arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court; if he entered the country, Pretoria, an ICC member, would be required to comply with the warrant’s provisions.
“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Mr (Sergei) Lavrov,” Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a statement.
The decision follows “a number of consultations” held by Ramaphosa in recent months, the most recent of which took place “last night,” Magwenya said.
The BRICS group, a confederation of powerful nations that also includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China and sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic dominance, is currently chaired by South Africa.
Pretoria has come under intense internal and international pressure not to host Putin despite his formal invitation to the BRICS summit, which will be held in Johannesburg between August 22 and 24.
“President Ramaphosa is confident that the Summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe,” Magwenya said.
Putin is sought by the ICC over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
