The Russian President was already unable to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg (South Africa).
The Indian government confirmed on Monday (28/08/2023) that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not personally attend the G20 summit to be held in the country on September 910.
The Kremlin did not say why Putin was absent. During a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Russian President said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would represent him.
“President Putin informed that he will not be able to attend the G20 summit on September 910, 2023 in New Delhi and informed that Russia will be represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, His Excellency Sergey Lavrov ‘ he told The Prime Minister’s Office in a note.
Putin also did not attend the BRICS summit, held August 2224 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the first time that the Russian president missed the meeting.
At the time, Putin’s failure to attend meant the risk that he would be arrested for war crimes against Ukraine. The Russian leader has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague (Netherlands).
As a signatory to the Rome Statute that created the court, South Africa would be obliged to comply with the mandate once Putin entered the country. Unlike the South Africans, India is not a signatory to the agreement and therefore would not have to arrest the Russian president.