Russian President Vladimir Putin will decide closer to the date of the event whether he will participate in the BRICS conference to be held in South Africa in August, the Kremlin said on Monday, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

South Africa, which is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), maintains good relations with Russia, but in theory it should arrest Vladimir Putin on the basis of a warrant issued in March by the ICC in the context of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

Answering during another press conference whether Vladimir Putin will take part in the BRICS conference, Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov said that “the relevant decision will be made closer to the date of the event.”

“But in any case, Russia will take an active part (in the conference),” Peskov added, calling BRICS “a very important association.”

The BRICS group, an acronym derived from the names of the member countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is considered a strong emerging market, an alternative to the West.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on suspicion of “deporting” Ukrainian children during Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine. Moscow did not hide its program, under which it brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but presented it as a humanitarian action aimed at protecting orphans and abandoned children in the conflict zone.

Then Peskov called the mandate issued by the International Space Station “scandalous and unacceptable.”

South Africa should arrest Putin

Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court, and it is unlikely that Vladimir Putin will be on trial in the near future. But the warrant issued in his name means he could be arrested and sent to The Hague if he goes to any ICC member state.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Human Rights of Russia, on the same charges.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, South Africa has been criticized for its proximity to Moscow. Pretoria says it respects a “neutral” position and refuses to join Western calls to condemn Russia, saying it wants to maintain dialogue between the warring parties.

South Africa held naval exercises with Russia and China off its coast in February.

Ties between South Africa and Russia date back to the apartheid era, when the Kremlin supported the African National Congress (ANC) in its struggle against the racist regime.

The arrest warrant issued by the ICC has shaken South Africa’s political scene. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has called for the arrest of Vladimir Putin, asking the ICC to compel the South African government.