Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked to “stay away” from the ongoing BRICS summit in Johannesburg, because an outstanding arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against him, over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, put South Africa in a “sticky situation,” Euronews reported.
Putin has sent an emissary — Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — instead, and Kremlin said he would “still play a key role in the main summit meeting”, addressing delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa via video conference. Leaders from the BRICS countries are likely to consider expanding the bloc during the summit to challenge the dominance of the West — a goal in line with Putin’s vision of a ‘multiworld order’.
South Africa had, in the months leading up to summit, lobbied Putin to attend to summit from Russia as it is a signatory to the ICC’s treaty. “The Russians are not happy, though. They want him to come,” South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile said last month announcing that the country had reached an agreement with him on virtual participation.
Read the full report: Euronews
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