President Vladimir Putin will not attend next month’s BRICS summit in Brazil due to an outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, the Kremlin said Wednesday.
The Hague-based court issued the warrant in March 2023, accusing Putin of illegally deporting Ukrainian children following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin would take part in the July 6-7 summit of BRICS heads of state in Rio de Janeiro via video link.
“This is due to certain difficulties in the context of the ICC’s requirements,” Ushakov said.
Putin regularly touts BRICS as a counterweight to Western dominance in global affairs.
The group, named after founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, is a loose political and economic alliance that aims to strengthen cooperation but is not a formal trade bloc.
As an ICC member, Brazil would be obligated to arrest Putin if he traveled to the summit.
Last year, the Russian leader made a high-profile visit to Mongolia — also an ICC member — in a show of defiance following the court’s arrest order. The trip drew criticism from both the ICC and the European Union for allowing him to enter the country.
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