South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has called on the country, which has been criticized since the beginning of the war in Ukraine for its proximity to Moscow, to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, AFP reports.

In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war crime of “deporting” Ukrainian children.

In August, Pretoria is to host the 14th BRICS summit, a group of countries that includes South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Russia. As a member of the ICC, the country should theoretically arrest the Russian president if he enters its territory.

“The ruling party has decided, as it is reasonable, for South Africa to withdraw from the ICC,” Ramaphosa told a news conference after a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niiniste. The African National Congress (ANC) convened over the weekend.

The issue of whether South Africa will arrest Putin is being “worked out”, the head of state added.

“Putin can come to this country at any time,” ANC General Secretary Fikile Mbalula said earlier at a press conference. “The CPI does not serve the interests of all but a few,” he added.

Ramaphosa believes that the International Criminal Court treats some countries “unfairly”.

According to Ramaphosa, the ANC’s decision to withdraw from the ICC was made “largely” because of what he sees as the unfair treatment of some countries by the court.

“We would like this issue of unfair treatment to be properly discussed, but in the meantime the ruling party has once again decided that an exit is needed,” Ramaphosa said.

South Africa already wanted to withdraw from the ISS in 2016 after the visit of the former president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir. Pretoria refused to arrest the latter, for whose arrest a warrant was issued.

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.

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