Putin declines trip to BRICS summit in Brazil amid arrest concerns
Photo: Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Getty Images)
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, will not travel to Brazil to participate in the BRICS summit on July 6-7. The reason is an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC), states Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Interfax.
"The president will participate via video link, but the foreign minister (Sergey Lavrov — ed.) will be present in Brazil," Ushakov said.
He added that Putin’s refusal to travel to Brazil is related to "certain difficulties in the context of the ICC’s demands."
"It is precisely in this context that the Brazilian government could not take a clear position that would allow our president to participate in this meeting," Ushakov noted.
Arrest warrant for Putin
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, because he is involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russian territory.
Now, all countries that have ratified the Rome Statute are obligated to enforce this court decision. This specifically applies to Brazil as well.
Incidentally, Putin has already visited Mongolia, which has also ratified the Rome Statute, but the Kremlin leader was not arrested there.
