South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says arresting Russian leader Vladimir Putin would amount to a declaration of war. This is coming on the heels of speculation that the Russia President will not attend a summit in South Africa next month Putin has been invited to a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit which will take place in Johannesburg in August.
If Mr Putin leaves Russian soil, he would be subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant over war crimes in Ukraine.
As an ICC member, South Africa would be expected to carry out the arrest warrant if the Russian president enters the country.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent the country at the two-day summit instead.
Mr. Putin however will take part in the Brics via video link, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian media.
