- South African officials are hoping Russian President Vladimir Putin does not visit next month.
- Putin is set to attend a BRICS summit in Johannesburg, despite an international arrest warrant.
The government of South Africa really hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not show up at the meeting it's hosting next month, a top official said in an interview published Friday, fearing that it could result in an international incident.
"We would be happy if he doesn't come," South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile told the Mail & Guardian.
That sentiment comes after South Africa, in January, said that Putin was welcome to attend the next BRICS summit in Johannesburg, which begins Aug. 22. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the governments of which have formed a rival to the G7 alliance of developed economies.
Russia has frequently cast the grouping as a challenge to Western hegemony and a key to a future "multipolar" world no longer dominated by the United States or Europe. In February, it held joint naval exercises with China and South Africa just off the latter's coast.
But, in March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president, accusing him of overseeing war crimes in Ukraine, namely the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Countries that signed the treaty creating the court, known as the Rome Statute, are obligated to "immediately take steps" to detain suspects.
"We understand we are bound by the Rome Statute," Mashatile said, "but we can't invite someone, and then arrest him."
He expanded on that point in a separate interview with the South African outlet News24.
"It's almost like you invite your friend to your house, and then arrest them. That's why for us, his not coming is the best solution. The Russians are not happy, though. They want him to come," he said.
A spokesperson for Mashatile later told the Financial Times that the South African government is "speaking to President Putin directly on the ICC problem."
Putin attended last year's BRICS summit, hosted by China, virtually. The Kremlin has not said whether he will try to attend the next meeting in person.
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