Russia’s war in Ukraine

Source: CNN | Original Published At: 2023-03-24 11:21:19 UTC

Key Points

• Uncertainty remains about Vladimir Putin's potential attendance at the BRICS summit in South Africa.
• The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes involving Ukrainian children.
• South Africa's legal obligation to enforce ICC arrest warrants creates diplomatic tension.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference at the BRICS Summit on July 27, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

No decision has been taken yet on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS summit in South Africa in August, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

“No decision has been made on this yet,” Peskov told CNN.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are collectively known as the fast-growing BRICS economies.

Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges. The warrant relates to an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

South Africa is a party to the convention that requires the arrest of anyone for whom a warrant has been issued by the court.