The G20 summit in India took place without Vladimir Putin. But he could be there at the next meeting in Rio – without being arrested.
New Delhi – Vladimir Putin as guest of honor in Brazil? This scenario could well happen. Despite an international arrest warrant issued for him, Russia’s president is not at risk of being arrested during a possible visit to the South American country, according to his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “If I am the president of Brazil and if he comes to Brazil, he will definitely not be arrested,” Lula told the Indian news portal Firstpost on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi. At the summit, however, the politicians had to be protected from wild monkeys.
Brazil’s President Lula invites Putin, but says: “We like peace”
Lula’s choice of words regarding a visit by the Russian ruler to Brazil was surprising. About Putin, who attacked Ukraine with his country, Lula said: “We like peace and we like to treat people well. So I think Putin can travel to Brazil safely.” The next G20 meeting will take place next year in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. Lula announced that he wanted to invite Putin to the summit.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant against Putin last March. The Russian president has avoided international meetings since the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine. Putin also did not attend the summit in India, although the country, unlike Brazil, never joined the ICC. Putin must “expect to be arrested the moment he enters a member state of the International Criminal Court,” explained Stefanie Bock, criminal law expert at the Philipps University of Marburg ZDF.
G20 avoids condemning Russia in statement
On Saturday (September 9, 2023), the G20 participants adopted a statement in which Moscow was not explicitly condemned for the war in Ukraine. Instead, all countries were urged not to use force to seize territory. Putin also did not attend the Brics summit in South Africa at the end of August. In the run-up to the summit, South Africa had already been looking for ways to avoid arrest.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive is leaving its mark on Russia. Putin’s armed forces are forced to send reinforcements to the front. (cgsc with AFP)
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