South Africa is stirring up controversy due to it’s plans to extend a warm welcome to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, despite an international arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
In a signal of South Africa’s deepening ties with Moscow, President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing to host the Russian president for the BRICS bloc summit scheduled for August.
Initially, South Africa had invited Putin to attend the summit virtually due to legal concerns, but this invitation was rejected by the Kremlin. However, according to The Times, President Ramaphosa’s deputy is leading a committee to examine international and domestic laws, including the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).
It was the ICC that issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March, accusing him of war crimes, including the abduction of Ukrainian children and their deportation to Russia to be placed with Russian families. Putin vehemently condemned the arrest warrant as “outrageous.”
Despite the ICC’s action and international pressure, South Africa has refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has not shown support for the sanctions imposed on Moscow. While initial legal advice suggested that South Africa was obligated to act on the arrest warrant, the country’s foreign ministry director-general, Zane Dangor, stated that another independent legal opinion was sought to ensure the appropriate course of action.
South Africa, considered one of Moscow’s closest allies on the African continent, claims to maintain impartiality and has abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions related to the Ukrainian conflict. However, allegations have recently emerged from the United States suggesting that Pretoria covertly supplied weapons to Moscow, which contradicts its professed neutrality.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov firmly ruled out the possibility of Putin attending the BRICS bloc summit virtually, stating that he would not participate from a distance of over 6,000 miles.
Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa revealed that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky have agreed to meet with a delegation of African heads of state to discuss potential plans for ending the war in Ukraine. The South African president held phone conversations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, leading to the proposal of hosting “an African leaders’ peace mission” in Moscow and Kyiv.
Lieutenant-General Lawrence Mbatha, the chief of South Africa’s army, recently visited Moscow for talks on combat readiness, while President Ramaphosa’s peace talks coincided with this visit. Some experts view this as a propaganda move by Moscow to demonstrate that they are not isolated by Western laws they consider helpless.
Amid these diplomatic developments, Ukraine’s military reported making territorial gains despite being outgunned and outnumbered by Russian forces in heavy fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian officials have emphasized that these advances are not part of a broader counteroffensive but rather increased pressure on Russian troops in specific areas.
The situation in Ukraine remains tense, and South Africa’s decision to embrace Putin amidst an international arrest warrant has sparked criticism and raised questions about the country’s alignment and commitment to upholding international legal norms.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht, File
