Putin refuses to fly to the BRICS summit in South Africa. US State Department calls him an "international pariah"

This was announced by the press service of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

"President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa’s readiness to host the historic 15th Summit of BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions," the message says. 

Ramaphosa is said to have held a series of consultations in preparation for the summit, the last of which took place on the evening of July 18.

"By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister, Mr Sergey Lavrov," the press service said.

Thus, the presidents of Brazil, India, China and South Africa will participate in the summit.

Later, the Kremlin’s spokesman Peskov told reporters that Putin will participate in the BRICS summit via video link.

"President Putin has decided to participate in the BRICS summit in the format of a video conference. It will be a full-fledged participation. Minister Lavrov will be present at the meeting," Interfax quoted Peskov.

How the US reacted

Commenting on Vladimir Putin's decision not to fly to the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller called it a consequence of Russia's war against Ukraine.  
"One of the many ways in which this war has been a strategic failure for Russia is that it has made it much worse off in the world. And there is no better illustration than the Russian president. Putin can hardly leave his own borders now. He is an international pariah who can barely leave his own borders for fear of arrest," Miller said.

What is known about the BRICS summit:

On March 17, an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children's rights. This warrant is based on suspicions of their involvement in war crimes, specifically the illegal deportation of Ukrainians, including children.

After that, Brazil hinted that Putin could be arrested in the country on the basis of a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, commenting on the ICC's decision, said that "the wheels of justice are turning," while Human Rights Watch called the arrest warrant for Putin a "wake-up call" for those who commit or conceal abuses.

Later, these countries' comments were joined by representatives of the United Kingdom and Canada, who unequivocally supported the court's position.

Also, US President Joe Biden said that the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin was justified because the Russian president had committed war crimes. 

Lawyer Kateryna Busol believed that South Africa would try to persuade Putin not to attend the BRICS summit in August. Later, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he planned to attend a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in South Africa on June 1-2.

In mid-April, South Africa expressed concern that the court-issued arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin was causing obstacles ahead of the BRICS summit scheduled for August.

On April 26, South Africa announced that it would not withdraw from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin. 

On May 1, the South African authorities informally warned Russia that they would be forced to arrest Putin under an ICC warrant if he came to the country for the BRICS summit.

On May 30, South Africa announced that it would not overturn the ICC's decisions, but would grant diplomatic immunity to participants in the BRICS summit in August.

Cyril Ramaphosa stated on July 14 that Putin himself will attend the BRICS summit.

On July 15, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said South Africa should do "the right thing" by respecting international law and hand over Putin if he attends the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month.

On July 18, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his affidavit that the Kremlin had threatened him with war if Putin was arrested during the BRICS summit