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Russia has rejected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's request that his delegation to the BRICS summit in August be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead of President Vladimir Putin. This was stated by the vice president of South Africa, Paul Mashatile, to the local newspaper 'Mail & Guardian'.

On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russian Children's Advocate Maria Lvova-Belova for "illegal deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia." The ICC does not hold trials in absentia, so it is necessary for Putin to be handed over by Moscow or arrested outside Russia.

"We understand that we are bound by the Rome Statute, but we cannot invite someone and then arrest them. We would be happy if he [Putin] didn't come," Mashatila said.

During this time members of the South African government offered three options for the participation of the Russian delegation. According to the first, Putin would be represented at the summit by the Russian Foreign Ministry; according to the second, Putin would participate in the online meeting; according to the third, China will be asked to organize the meeting.

The alternatives have been running out. According to Mashatile, India and Brazil opposed the transfer of the summit to China. The vice president added that negotiations on Putin's presence at the meeting are still ongoing. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed the Russian leader's attendance at the meeting. South Africa sent an invitation to Putin at the time and Moscow said it would give an answer closer to the date of the summit.

When the arrest warrant was issued, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the court's decision "insignificant, provocative and categorically unacceptable." The deputy head of the department, Sergei Ryabkov, expressed from the beginning his confidence that South Africa would grant immunity to Putin during the BRICS summit. South African authorities promised in May that summit participants would have diplomatic immunity. In March, the country's authorities were considering "all options to avoid execution of the order," Bloomberg reported.

But the problem is that South Africa has ratified the Rome Statute (the ICC's founding document) and recognizes its jurisdiction. The head of state's office said the country would not abandon the ICC's jurisdiction.

The BRICS Summit will be the first face-to-face gathering of leaders within the organization since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, from 22 to 24 August. Putin attended the summit in South Africa in person in 2013.

123 states are members of the ICC, including countries in Europe, South America and about half of the countries in Africa. Russia, Ukraine, the United States, China, Turkey, India and others have not ratified the Rome Statute. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has urged the South African authorities to "do the right thing" in case the Russian president travels to Johannesburg. "South Africa has suffered a crime against humanity for decades, the crime of apartheid, I don't think they need lessons from me."

During a speech in Parliament in early May, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola hinted that South Africa's government could refer to the country's legislation that allows exceptions for national security reasons. But at the same time the country fears spoiling some trade agreements with the US (one of them expires in 2025 and may not be renewed) if it ignores an arrest warrant that the government of Joe Biden, despite not being a signatory of the treaty, has supported. Walking on that razor's edge, the country has stumbled several times. President Ramaphosa, during the Norwegian president's visit, announced that South Africa was withdrawing from the ICC, but was later forced to withdraw his words saying that it had been a mistake.

Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to tighten its ties with Africa, where it is concerned about the growing influence of Russia and China. Moscow has reaped some results: many African countries decided not to vote on a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

South Africa does not forget the Soviet Union's support for resistance against the apartheid regime. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, South Africa has adopted a neutral position, refusing to join calls for condemnation of Moscow.

President Ramaphosa leads an African group seeking to mediate the conflict, which he says "has a negative impact on the African continent." The African Development Bank estimates that the war is directly responsible for the lack of about 30 million tons of cereals on the continent. The African delegation has maintained contacts with the governments of Moscow and Kiev, so far without results. The Russian invasion "must be solved through negotiations and diplomatic means," Ramaphosa said when received by Putin in St. Petersburg last June.

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