JOHANNESBURG: South Africa will hold the BRICS summit where world leaders will participate directly for the first timeafter the Covid-19 pandemic. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend due to the possibility of arrest. The issue is the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant in the Ukraine invasion case. Putin participated online.

An indictment was filed against Putin and an arrest warrant was issued last March. South Africa, a signatory to the International Court of Justice, cannot ignore the warrant. If Putin sets foot on South African soil, he will have to be arrested. The South African government has discussed this with Putin. So it was decided that online participation was enough. South African Vice President Paul Mashatile said he avoided arrest after inviting his friend to his home.