Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to an event in Johannesburg next month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday warned that arresting him would account for declaring war against Russia.
Ramaphosa's remarks came as Putin has been invited to South Africa in August for a BRICS summit. However, an arrest warrant has been issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the alleged forced deportation of children from Ukraine. South Africa is an ICC signatory and is supposed to help with Putin's arrest.
According to a BBC report, South Africa has refused to honour this obligation, such as when it allowed safe passage to former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir in 2015 when he was wanted for instigating war against his own people.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa remains resolute against Putin's arrest, even as South Africa's largest opposition party has been trying to force authorities to carry out the move, citing threats to national security, as per court documents.
"Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting president would be a declaration of war. It would be inconsistent with our constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia," he said.
The South African President also said that arresting Putin would be counter-productive since the country is currently engaged in holding talks between Russia and Ukraine for a resolution to the ongoing war.
Leaders of seven African countries met Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling for a de-escalation of fighting. However, neither of the two warring sides agreed to peace talks. Many African nations still remain divided over condemnation of Russia over the war that has killed thousands of civilians.
Hours after a massive explosion rocked Crimean Bridge, resulting in the killing of two people, Russia has announced to halt of the "crucial" grain deal that allows the movement of agricultural goods from Ukraine to another world.
The significant development that came on Monday will pose a threat to African nations which are already facing unprecedented crises of grains and other agricultural products, especially wheat.
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