In the event President Vladimir Putin travels to South Africa for the BRICS conference in August, the South African government is seeking legal guidance on how to handle an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Putin.
Naledi Pandor, minister of international relations and cooperation, told the Sabc on Friday that “we are awaiting a revised legal opinion on the topic.”
“We are worried about the state of the Ukrainian people. We would like to be in a position to keep communicating with both nations in an effort to convince them to pursue peace.
In regard to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, South Africa has taken a neutral stance. The government’s stance has prompted criticism from some of the greatest trading partners of the country, including the US and the European Union, as well as some of the biggest banks in the country.
According to two foreign ministry employees who declined to provide their names, South Africa is unlikely to detain any foreign heads of state who are visiting. According to them, the administration and the ruling African National Congress are looking at every possibility to postpone carrying out the warrant.
The Kremlin has yet to decide on whether Putin will travel to South Africa for the BRICS summit, Interfax reported, citing spokesman Dmitry Peskov.