As a founding member of the International Criminal Court, South Africa has an obligation to arrest Vladimir Putin should he ever step foot in the country. This posed a problem for Pretoria, given the Russian leader was due to attend a meeting of the Brics trading group in Johannesburg next month. No longer. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday that Mr Putin would be staying home.
Long-range warheads landing on Jo’burg, Durban and Cape Town would soon have shortened Brics to Bric
The International Criminal Court has accused him of war crimes in Crimea, especially over the treatment of children, and has issued a warrant to all member states. Pretoria has been neutral on the war in Ukraine, abstaining from UN votes relating to the invasion, but the Hague treaty is still binding.
However, there may have been another reason for the cancelled visit. Since the short-lived coup by the Wagner mercenary group, Mr Putin has been edgy about leaving the Kremlin.
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