Putin says will not attend G-20 summit in Brazil

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin said on Oct 18 that he would not attend the G-20 summit in Brazil in November because his arrival would “wreck” the conference.

He insisted that an

International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest

was not a factor, saying “that rulings of this type can be got around very easily”.

Asked by a journalist in Moscow ahead of a Brics summit in Russia, the president confirmed he would not attend the G-20 summit.

“So what, I would go there specially in order to disrupt the normal work of this forum?” Mr Putin said, adding that if he arrived, “the conversations would only be about this”.

“We would basically wreck the work of the G-20, why?” Mr Putin said.

“We are adults, so we will find someone in Russia who will worthily present the interests of our country in Brazil,” he added.

The ICC issued a warrant for Mr Putin’s arrest in 2023 over the

alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children

after Moscow launched its offensive in 2022.

But Mr Putin dismissed the risk of his arrest if he went to Brazil.

Russia and Brazil have “very warm, good relations”, he said.

“Therefore when it comes down to it, it’s enough to write an intergovernmental agreement and nobody is placed in a difficult position”.

Mr Putin went to Mongolia in September without any problem, despite the country being a member of the ICC and obliged to detain those sought by the court.

However, he did skip a meeting of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) group in South Africa. AFP