Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Naledi Pandor said that the government will have to discuss the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Vladimir Putin and consult with the Russian side, reports Ukrainian Pravda.

SABC News editor Sophie Mokoena tweeted an excerpt from Pandora’s statement.

According to the minister, South African authorities will have to consult with the Russian side regarding the arrest warrant.

“South Africa will have to review the existing provisions of our legislation. It will be necessary to discuss it within the Cabinet [de miniștri]and also with our colleagues in Russia and really set the way forward,” said Naledi Pandor.

Although there was no official confirmation of Putin’s visit, he was expected to attend the 15th BRICS summit, as he did in 2013.

Earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya said the country was aware of its legal obligation, first as a member of the International Criminal Court, to arrest Putin if he visited the country, but stressed that “until the summit, we will continue to engage with the various relevant stakeholders.” .

South Africa signed the Rome Statute in 1998 and is part of the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, but since the start of the war, President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his friendship with Putin.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) last Friday issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, charging him with war crimes in the illegal deportation of at least 100 children from Ukraine.

The ruling obliges the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and hand him over to The Hague for trial if he enters their territory.