Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin skipped the BRICS Summit in South Africa earlier this week, attending a gathering of leaders from the BRICS group of emerging economies via video link. He is also likely to skip the G20 summit in India in September.
Putin’s decision to skip the summits is likely due to the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest. The ICC issued the warrant in March, accusing Putin of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and would have been obliged to arrest Putin if he had traveled to the country.
Putin has denied the allegations against him and has called the ICC a “political tool” of the West. He has also said that he will not travel to any country that is a signatory to the Rome Statute.
Putin’s decision to skip the summits is a sign of the increasing isolation of Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion. The BRICS countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. They are all major emerging economies, and the summits are seen as an important forum for cooperation and discussion.
Putin’s absence from the summits is likely to weaken Russia’s influence in the BRICS countries and the G20. It is also a sign that the international community is increasingly unwilling to engage with Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
It remains to be seen whether Putin will attend any future multilateral summits. However, his decision to skip the BRICS and G20 summits is a significant development that is likely to have a major impact on Russia’s international standing.