Putin was due to attend a summit in South Africa this week. Why did he ask him to move away?

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Vladimir Putin will be the odd one out when the leaders of the BRICS economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa gather in Johannesburg this week.

While all others are set to attend the meetings in person, Putin will connect via video call.

the reason? An arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for the Russian president put summit host South Africa in a difficult position and ultimately led to Putin staying home.

Here’s what to expect when the Emerging Economies Group holds three days of meetings starting on Tuesday in South Africa’s largest city and financial hub.

Putin’s contacts

All BRICS leaders traditionally attend their summits, and Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping is making a rare trip abroad for the bloc’s first in-person summit since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Putin’s indictment by the International Criminal Court in March for war crimes over the deportation of children from Ukraine has left South Africa with a major diplomatic dilemma.

South Africa and Russia share strong ties and have close historical ties, but South Africa is also a signatory to the International Court Treaty. This means that it will be obliged to arrest Putin under the warrant of the International Criminal Court if he sets foot on South African soil.

South African officials said South Africa had been lobbying for months before the summit to persuade Putin to stay home so that it could avoid trouble. South African Vice President Paul Machattel said last month that Putin was determined to come before finally announcing an agreement on his participation.

Machatel said at the time: “It’s like you invite your friend to your house, and then you arrest him. That’s why for us, not having him come is the best solution. But the Russians are not happy. They want him to come.”

The Kremlin has not said whether Putin plans to travel to South Africa, but stressed that he will still play a key role in Wednesday’s main summit meeting and address delegates via video link.

“We are talking about full participation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. This will include a speech by the Chair and, where necessary, engaging in an exchange of views.

Some people are looking for bigger brix

The main discussion will revolve around enlarging the five-nation bloc.

China and Russia support a larger BRICS grouping and are seen as pushing for it. Nearly two dozen countries have applied for new membership, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

But BRICS is a consensus-based organization, and all five members must agree on the principle of enlargement and criteria for new members before they decide who to join.

Brazil, India and South Africa are seen as less keen on expansion, fearing their voices may weaken, but the bloc is moving forward and the five leaders are expected to review proposals on expansion parameters.

If the policy is given the green light, the larger BRICS grouping could be seen as an opportunity for China and Russia to expand their influence.

relations with the West

Some see potential BRICS expansion as part of an effort by China and Russia to challenge the Group of Seven major industrial nations and other Western international institutions.

The bloc insists its focus is not against the West but in seeking out the interests of the developing world.

However, the BRICS group has publicly criticized what it calls Western domination of global governance and financial institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank at the expense of the developing world.

The group’s New Development Bank has a stated policy of trying to encourage more trade in local currencies and away from the dollar.

The BRICS group has provided a forum for Chinese and Russian officials to sometimes blame the West.

South Africa, the current chair of the BRICS group, says this does not mean the bloc is taking an anti-Western turn under the influence of China and Russia amid rising geopolitical tensions between the West and the East.

“There is an unfortunate narrative being developed that BRICS is anti-Western, that BRICS was created as a competition to the G7 or the Global North, which is not true,” said Anil Soklal, South African ambassador to BRICS. It seeks to advance the agenda of the Global South.”

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