Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a press conference on Friday that he will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November.
Putin said he was aware of the commotion surrounding Russia and the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
“I have a good and friendly relationship with [Brazilian] Chairman Lula [da Silva]. Should I go there myself to disrupt the work of this forum?” the Russian president said.
Putin said Russia would find a suitable representative to attend the economic bloc’s meeting in Brazil. In previous years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov represented Putin at the forum.
For Russia, the BRICS summit with Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates next week in the Russian city of Kazan is the foreign policy highlight of the year, in location of the G20 meeting.
In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, specifically the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
