Brazil's President to Invite Putin to G20 Summit, While Hinting at Possible Arrest
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Monday, December 4, that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be invited to the next year's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, scheduled for mid-November. However, Lula hinted that Putin could face arrest under the International Criminal Court's order, as Brazil is a member of the court and has obligations towards it, as reported by the local publication Terra.
"If Putin comes to the G20 meeting in Brazil, he knows what could happen," ambiguously stated Lula during a press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Earlier, Lula da Silva had suggested that the question of the country's participation in the International Criminal Court needs to be reconsidered. This statement came amid discussions about the security guarantees for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hypothetical event of his visit to Brazil for the G20 summit next year.
During the G20 summit in India in September 2023, Lula da Silva claimed that the Russian leader would not be arrested in Brazil if he decides to attend the G20 summit the following year in the South American country. However, the tone of Lula's statements changed later.
It's worth noting that Vladimir Putin skipped the last two G20 summits in Bali and New Delhi, where Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of war crimes, specifically the unlawful deportation of at least 100 children from Ukraine after Russia's invasion of the neighboring country. This measure obliges the 123 member countries of the court to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first permanently operating legal institution with the authority to prosecute individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It was established based on the Rome Statute adopted in 1998 and has been operational since July 2002. Its jurisdiction extends to crimes committed after the entry into force of the Rome Statute.