GCIS
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg in November this year due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him in March last year.
The ICC accuses Putin of war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine.
The Russian leader is accused of being individually responsible for the forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation's Director-General, Zane Dangor says South Africa will be obligated to arrest Putin if he attended, prompting his decision to skip the summit, as he did with BRICS in 2023.
Dangor spoke to the media after the first G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting at Nasrec in Johannesburg.
He added that all state parties must uphold their obligations under the statute, particularly since arrest warrants have been issued for other Heads of State.
