South Africa says Putin will skip a summit next month because of his ICC arrest warrant #South #Africa #Putin #skip #summit #month #ICC #arrest #warrant

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS economic summit in Johannesburg next month, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement Wednesday.

The decision means South Africa will not face the dilemma of whether it should carry out an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Russian leader.

South Africa is a signatory to the treaty that created the ICC and would have been obliged under that to arrest Putin, although the country had given strong hints that it would have likely not executed the arrest warrant.

FILE - In this photo provided by Photo host Agency RIA Novosti, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, not in photo, during their talks after a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2023. South Africa's president said Tuesday, July 18, 2023 that arresting Putin — should he show up at an economic summit next month in Johannesburg — would amount to a “declaration of war” by his country. (Ramil Sitdikov/Photo host Agency RIA Novosti via AP)

South Africa’s president says that arresting Russian President Vladimir Putin — should he show up at an economic summit next month in Johannesburg — would amount to a “declaration of war” by his country.

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin answers journalists' questions about the grain deal in Moscow, Russia, on July 13, 2023. Putin said that the Wagner private military company "simply doesn't exist" as a legal entity, in comments adding to the series of often bizarre twists that have followed the group's abortive revolt last month — the most serious threat to Putin's 23-year rule amid the war in Ukraine. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

South Africa’s deputy president says Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to attend an economic summit in South Africa next month but the country is trying to persuade him to stay away to avoid the legal and diplomatic fallout over his international arrest warrant.

South African Defence Force (SANDF) patrol at a toll station in Durban, South Africa, Friday July 14, 2023. South Africa deployed the army in four of its provinces after at least 21 trucks carrying goods were set on fire in various parts of the country in the span of five days. The move came amid concerns of more violent unrest over a court decision that could send former president Jacob Zuma back to jail, although authorities denied the two issues are connected. (AP Photo)

South Africa has deployed the army in four of its provinces after at least 21 trucks carrying goods were set on fire on national roads in various parts of the country in the span of five days.

FILE - Zandile Mafe appears in the magistrates court in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 charged with two counts of arson, theft, housebreaking and contravention of the National Key Points Acts. A man facing terrorism charges over a fire that badly damaged South Africa’s Parliament building last year said in an courtroom outburst on Thursday that he “burned it intentionally.” Zandile Mafe said he was going to “burn it more” if the country’s Parliament is not moved from Cape Town. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht, File)

A man facing terrorism charges over a fire that badly damaged South Africa’s Parliament building last year said in a courtroom outburst that he “burned it intentionally.”

But Wednesday’s announcement allows South Africa to avoid the problem and comes after Ramaphosa spoke with Putin by telephone in recent days.

The decision for Putin not to attend was by “mutual agreement,” Ramaphosa’s office said. Russia will instead be represented at the Aug 22-24 summit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The BRICS economic bloc is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa had invited the leaders of the other four countries to the summit before Putin’s arrest warrant was issued by the ICC in March.

The announcement brings to an end months of speculation over if Putin was going to travel to South Africa. Putin has not traveled to any country that is a signatory to the ICC treaty since he was indicted for war crimes over the abduction of children from Ukraine.