Harare — Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, won't be attending the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Summit in Johannesburg in August, the presidency said.
The Presidency announced that instead of Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be in attendance.
Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had declared that any effort to detain Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit would amount to "a declaration of war" with Russia. The court documents for the case were made public on July 18.
Putin is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which Pretoria as an ICC member, was expected to enforce if he attended.
The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was attempting to pressure the government into taking the Kremlin leader into custody, and turning him over to the ICC if he had entered the country, a request that led to a diplomatic conundrum.
Ramaphosa responded by labelling the DA's application "irresponsible" and saying that national security was at risk.
"When foreign policy decisions have the capacity to decimate South Africa's international reputation and decimate our economy, it is crucial that government uphold its obligation to be open and transparent," Steenhuisen is reported to have said.
However, Ramaphosa said, "It would be inconsistent with our constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia," adding that such an action would be contrary to his duty to safeguard the country.
Additionally, Ramaphosa noted that the arrest would "foreclose any peaceful solution" and undercut a mission headed by South Africa to put an end to the war in Ukraine.
The ICC treaty mandates that when a member state discovers issues that would prevent the execution of a request, the court shall be consulted. It further stipulates that the court may not proceed with demanding an arrest if doing so would require a state to violate international agreements on diplomatic immunity.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
South Africa now serves as the chair of the BRICS group, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, and China and sees itself as a counter-balance to Western economic dominance. Though trade with Russia is substantially smaller, Pretoria has long-standing connections with Moscow because of the Kremlin's support of the ruling African National Congress in its fight against apartheid.
African heads of state are leading peace talks aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The proposal has been presented to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during separate telephone calls by Ramaphosa. The European leaders whose forces are engaged in the heaviest fighting between two nations on the continent for more than 70 years rebuffed an attempt by African leaders to launch a peace mission.
The African leaders who travelled to Kyiv in Ukraine and St Petersburg in Russia were President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Azali Assoumani of the Comoros (who is also the current president of the African Union), President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli of Egypt.
