BRICS Countries Mull Potential Arrest of Vladimir Putin Amid Warrant

South Africa is considering the potential arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin if he comes to an August summit
The situation comes as BRICS members on Thursday asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers
The consideration of an arrest comes as the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the Russian strongman

BRICS member South Africa mulls over the potential arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite being granted immunity for an upcoming summit.

On Thursday, the group's foreign ministers asserted their bloc's objective of rivaling Western powers. However, their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by discussions of potentially arresting the Russian strongman if he came to the summit scheduled for August.

Potential Arrest of Vladimir Putin

South Africa, a member of the ICC, could theoretically be required to follow through with the arrest warrant. The country's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, faced a wave of questions regarding the possibility when she arrived for a first round of talks with representatives from other BRICS members, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, as per Reuters.

In a statement, Pandor said that the answer to that question is that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the one to indicate the final position of his country. She noted that, as of the moment, an invitation was handed out to all members of the BRICS bloc for the upcoming summit that would be held in Johannesburg.

During a later news conference, the bloc's ministers avoided questions regarding the arrest of Putin. The situation comes after the ICC accused the Russian president in March of committing the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.

On the other hand, the Russian government has continued to deny the allegations, and the invitation for the August summit was handed out in January. While Putin has not confirmed his plans to attend the event, the Kremlin said Moscow would participate at the "proper level."

Upcoming BRICS Summit

The director-general of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Zane Dangor, said there has yet to be a firm decision. He added that ministers who were assigned to the issue would soon meet to consider a report laying out potential solutions, according to ABC.net.

One option that South African officials are considering is to ask the previous chair of the group, China, to host the upcoming summit instead. The plan was revealed by a senior government official who spoke under the condition of anonymity on Wednesday.

In a statement on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that alleged reports of the BRIC Summit being relocated to China were fake. But former South African President Thabo Mbeki said the event was unlikely to be held in his country due to the dilemma.

The situation comes with a spotlight on South Africa's relationship with Russia. Many Western nations are growing concerned that Africa's most developed economy is beginning to align itself with Russia and trying to pull other developing countries into the fold, said the Associated Press.