Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a press conference on Friday that he would 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 for him.
“I have a good and friendly relationship with [Brazilian] President Lula [da Silva]. Should I go there myself to disrupt the work of this forum?” the Russian president said.
Putin said Russia would find an appropriate representative to attend the meeting of the economic bloc in Brazil. In previous years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has 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 in the Russian city of Kazan next week is the foreign policy highlight of the year, rather than the G20 summit.
In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, in particular for the abduction of Ukrainian children.
