Russian President Vladimir Putin will be participating in the upcoming BRICS summit of leaders in South Africa via video link, according to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. The decision was announced on Wednesday after the host nation confirmed that Putin would not attend the high-profile event in person.
Despite the remote nature of his participation, Peskov assured the Russian media that Putin’s contribution to the summit will be “comprehensive.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be attending the summit in person, representing Moscow, as confirmed by the South African government.
The absence of President Putin from the summit was agreed upon by both Russia and South Africa. The decision comes in the backdrop of South Africa being a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which had charged Putin in March with “kidnapping” Ukrainian children. Moscow has vehemently dismissed these accusations as politically motivated and baseless, accusing the ICC of being influenced by Western interests.
Since South Africa is an ICC member, there is a theoretical obligation to attempt to arrest President Putin and hand him over to the court if he were to set foot on its soil. Consequently, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office earlier warned that such a move could escalate tensions and potentially lead to war with Russia.
Peskov, however, denied on Wednesday that Russia had issued any threats in response to this situation. He maintained that there was “no need for any explanation” of the potential risk.
BRICS is a coalition of prominent non-Western economies, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In recent years, the group has held virtual summits due to the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The summit will serve as a platform for member nations to discuss key issues concerning the global economy, geopolitics, and furthering cooperation among themselves. With President Putin’s remote participation, the event is expected to continue its agenda, despite the diplomatic tensions between Russia and South Africa.
