Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend next week’s BRICS Summit in Brazil due to an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov confirmed today.
The ICC issued the warrant in 2023—just over a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine—accusing Putin of war crimes, according to KosovaPress.
Although Russia has not ratified the ICC’s founding treaty and dismisses the warrant as illegitimate, it still poses a legal risk for Putin if he visits any country that is party to the court’s statute.
In 2023, Putin avoided attending the BRICS summit in South Africa for similar reasons. Nevertheless, he received a red-carpet welcome in Mongolia later that year, despite the country also being a signatory to the ICC.
Ushakov stated that Putin will participate in the July 6–7 BRICS summit via video conference.
“This is due to certain challenges arising from the ICC’s request. The Brazilian government was unable to provide sufficient guarantees that would have allowed our president to attend in person,” Ushakov explained.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia at the summit instead. According to media reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping will also not attend, though no official reason has been provided for his absence.
BRICS is a platform for cooperation among leading emerging economies. Its ten members include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
