The meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in South Africa on Thursday was overshadowed by questions about the prospect of Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrest in August if he attends the five-nation summit of the group.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said she was considering legal options on Putin's arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes if Putin attends the planned Johannesburg summit.
In theory, South Africa, as a member of the International Criminal Court, should carry out Putin's arrest if he attends the summit.
Pandor faced a barrage of questions about the matter after arriving for the first round of talks with representatives from Russia, China, India and Brazil.
"Our government is currently studying legal options related to this," she told reporters, adding that "President Cyril Ramaphosa will clarify the final position of South Africa."
In fact, all BRICS heads of State have been invited. Putin did not confirm his presence, and the Kremlin said only that Russia would participate at the "appropriate level."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) accused Putin in March of committing a war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations.
South Africa invited Putin in January. The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia and India attended Thursday's meeting in Cape Town, while China was represented by an undersecretary.
No formal agenda has been announced, and analysts said the group seeks to be a counter-Western force in the wake of Russia's war on Ukraine and that expanding its reach could be on the agenda.