Putin won’t be coming to South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that Russian president Vladimir Putin will not be attending the August BRICS Summit.
The office of the presidency announced on Thursday (19 July) that “by mutual agreement” Putin would not attend the Summit, but the Russian Federation would instead be represented by Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.
“In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the Summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued,” it said.
“President Ramaphosa is confident that the Summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe.”
The office of the presidency said that South Africa was ready to host the 15th Summit of BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
It will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.
The question of Putin’s attendance has caused untold turmoil in South Africa and has had a significant impact on the economy and the risk premium attached to the country.
As a member of the International Criminal Court, had Putin stepped foot in the country, authorities would have been obligated to arrest the Russian president.
Putin has an arrest warrant against him from the ICC for alleged war crimes related to the trafficking of children as part of the country’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
The South African government has been thrust into a very difficult position on the matter – failing to arrest Putin would have seen the country violating both local and international laws, while souring its relationship with Western trade partners and inviting potential sanctions.
Acceding to the warrant would have been seen as aggression towards Russia, with Ramaphosa stating in legal documents that it would be akin to declaring war on the country.
With Putin agreeing not to attend the meeting, South Africa will now be relieved of the dilemma, and market risks should alleviate.
Read: South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy: report
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