South Africa announced today, Thursday, that it will host the BRICS summit as planned in August, amidst speculation about moving the summit to China so that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attend in a country not obligated to arrest him on war crime charges.
As a member of the International Criminal Court, South Africa is required to arrest Putin if he attends the talks among the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, due to an arrest warrant based on allegations of his involvement in the deportation of children from Ukraine.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation stated, "South Africa will host the 15th BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24, 2023.”
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed in a text message to Reuters that this means the entire summit, including the main part with participation from BRICS heads of state, will take place in South Africa.
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, stated on Tuesday that Putin has not yet responded to an invitation sent before the International Criminal Court accused him on March 18.
Pandor noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva all intend to attend.
Putin met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 17 in Russia, a historical ally of the ruling African National Congress party since it was a liberation movement fighting against white minority rule decades ago.
South Africa claims to be neutral in the Ukraine conflict, but Western powers criticize it for maintaining friendly relations with Russia, including hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and conducting joint naval exercises.
