Putin ICC arrest warrant 'spanner in the works', S. Africa says

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on October 23, 2019. Pretoria which has close ties with Moscow, is faced with a diplomatic dilemma since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March. PHOTO | SERGEI CHIRIKOV | POOL VIA AFP)

By AFP

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South Africa on Wednesday said an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war was a "spanner in the works" ahead of

the August BRICS summit in the country.

Pretoria, which has close ties with Moscow, has been faced with a diplomatic dilemma since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March. 

Putin due to attend a summit of the BRICS, a bloc which groups together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, in South Africa in August. 

But the host nation who is a member of the ICC is expected to make the arrest if Putin steps foot in the country. 

Read: Ramaphosa urged to arrest Putin

"All heads of state would be expected to attend the summit. But now we have a spanner in the works in the form of this ICC warrant," President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesman Vincent Magwenya told a press briefing on Wednesday. 

"What that dictate is that there be further engagements, in terms of how that is going to be managed and those engagements are underway. Once they've been concluded, the necessary announcements will be made," he added.

The ICC warrant against Putin stems from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

South Africa stays neutral

Continental powerhouse South Africa refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine which has largely isolated Moscow on the international stage, saying it wants to stay neutral and prefers dialogue to end the war. 

It held a controversial joint military exercise earlier this year with Russia and China, which critics cite as evidence of a tilt towards the Kremlin. 

South Africa's ties with Russia date back decades when the Kremlin backed the country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) in its fight against apartheid.

The ICC warrant has been the cause of political tumult in the country. 

Read: Top US, Russia ministers visit S. Africa

South Africa’s leading opposition party the Democratic Alliance, has called for Putin to be arrested and for the ICC to pressure the country’s government. 

But leftist parties, including the South African Communist Party which is a close ally of the ruling African National Congress, have urged the government to welcome the Russian leader and pull out of the ICC instead.