South African officials have said it would be better if Putin attended the summit they are physically hosting or be asked to arrest the Russian leader in the ICC’s war crimes arrest warrant.
- The BRICS group consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
- The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin last month for the forcible deportation of children
South African officials have warned that Vladimir Putin must attend the BRICS summit they are actually hosting or be ordered to arrest the Russian president.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin last month, and South Africa, as a member of the ICC, will be required to arrest Putin if he attends the 15th BRICS summit to be hosted by South Africa in August.
The BRICS group includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group that is seen as a strong emerging market alternative to the West.
In an interview at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where she was taking part in a seminar, Ukrainian activist Oleksandra Romantsova told Reuters: “If Putin comes here…they (South Africa) need to arrest him.
It’s a complicated political situation. So Putin better join via Zoom.
South African officials have warned that Vladimir Putin must attend the BRICS summit they are actually hosting or be ordered to arrest the Russian president. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin last month, and South Africa as a member of the ICC will be required to arrest Putin if he attends the 15th BRICS summit to be hosted by South Africa in August (photo of Putin shared via video link in June 2022)
In an interview at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where she was taking part in a seminar, Ukrainian activist Oleksandra Romantsova told Reuters: “If Putin comes here…they (South Africa) need to arrest him.”
Romantsova, executive director of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties that jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, formed part of a Ukrainian civil society delegation aiming to share as much information as possible about the war that is still raging more than a year after Russia invaded.
Zain Dangor, director general of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said officials in his department had met with the Ukrainian delegation but refused to go into details.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin alleging that Moscow’s forcible deportation of Ukrainian children is a war crime.
The Kremlin reacted angrily, saying that any decisions issued by the court were “null and void”.
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces committed atrocities during the invasion of Ukraine, in what Russia calls a “special military operation”.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this week that his government was still considering what to do about the arrest warrant for Putin. Three officials familiar with those deliberations told Reuters that Putin’s attendance at the BRICS summit was effectively an option under consideration.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin alleging that Moscow’s forcible deportation of Ukrainian children is a war crime. The Kremlin responded angrily, saying any court decisions were ‘null and void’.
The BRICS group includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group that is seen as a strong emerging market alternative to the West. Activist Romantsova added: ‘It’s a complicated political situation. It’s better if Putin joins via Zoom’
South Africa is one of Russia’s most important allies on a continent divided over the Ukraine war and Western attempts to isolate Moscow because of it.
South Africa held joint naval exercises with Russia and China in February, a month after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited. Ramaphosa talked about South Africa playing a mediating role in the conflict last year but it has not gained much traction.
Romantsova said that if South Africa wants to mediate, it must have a strong relationship with Ukraine, not just Russia. “You need to understand the situation in Ukraine, you need to have regular contact,” she said.
