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Putin overshadows ambitious BRICS Africa plan

Putin overshadows ambitious BRICS Africa plan

AGAINST the backdrop of Table Mountain and a vista of the Atlantic Ocean, the five BRICS foreign ministers are meeting in Cape Town in preparation for the bloc’s leadership summit in South Africa in August this year. The picturesque setting, however, masks controversial issues on the table and a range of difficult issues to be resolved. The headline attention is, of course, on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine. The warrant has placed South Africa, a signatory to ICC protocols, on the…
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BRICS ministers put on show of strength as Putin arrest warrant looms large

BRICS ministers put on show of strength as Putin arrest warrant looms large

BRICS foreign ministers asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers but their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by questions over whether Russia's president would be arrested if he attended a summit in August. South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor said her country was mulling options if Vladimir Putin, the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), came to the planned BRICS summit in Johannesburg. As a member of the ICC, South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin, and Pandor was bombarded with questions about that as she arrived for…
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Russia dares the West, signals Putin will visit SA

Russia dares the West, signals Putin will visit SA

THE Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would take part at the "proper level" in a planned summit in South Africa of the BRICS nations, responding to a question on whether President Vladimir Putin would attend the gathering. South Africa, a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), would theoretically be required to arrest Putin under a warrant issued by the court for his arrest for alleged war crimes. However, it has invited Putin to the August 22-24 summit of the BRICS grouping of emerging economies, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. "Russia attaches enormous importance to…
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Putin and his invasion should be on trial in The Hague, says Zelenskiy on visit

Putin and his invasion should be on trial in The Hague, says Zelenskiy on visit

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin must be brought to justice for his war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in The Hague, calling for a new international tribunal for the "crime of aggression." "We're going to set up a specific tribunal... to show that these people are not untouchables," Zelenskiy told a press conference, underlining that the invasion itself should be seen as the "primary offence" committed by Moscow. Zelenskiy's declaration was made during his surprise visit to The Hague, known as the capital of international justice. But it was largely symbolic - the idea of such a court has…
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Putin and the ICC: history shows just how hard it is to bring a head of state to justice

Putin and the ICC: history shows just how hard it is to bring a head of state to justice

THE arrest warrants issued recently by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, represent the first time officials of a permanent member of the United Nations security council have been indicted for a war crime. Author CATHERINE GEGOUT, Associate Professor in International Relations, University of Nottingham The charge is that they presided over the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from areas occupied by the Russian military. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes,” the ICC said in a statement on…
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Any attempt to arrest Putin would be declaration of war on Russia, ally says

Any attempt to arrest Putin would be declaration of war on Russia, ally says

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE ANY attempt to arrest President Vladimir Putin after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the Kremlin chief would amount to a declaration of war against Russia, his ally Dmitry Medvedev said. The ICC issued an arrest warrant on Friday, accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. It said there are reasonable grounds to believe that Putin bears individual criminal responsibility. Former President Dmitry Medvedev told Russian media that the ICC, which countries including Russia, China and the United States do not recognise, was a "legal nonentity" that had never done…
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Putin visits Russian-occupied Mariupol after ICC issues arrest warrant

Putin visits Russian-occupied Mariupol after ICC issues arrest warrant

LIDIA KELLY and MARK TREVELYAN A day after being accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the scene of some of the worst devastation of his year-old invasion. State television showed extended footage of Putin being shown around the city on Saturday night, meeting rehoused residents and being briefed on reconstruction efforts by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. The port city of Mariupol became known around the world as a byword for death and destruction as much of it was reduced to ruins in the first…
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SA’s big test: Will Putin be arrested?

SA’s big test: Will Putin be arrested?

SOUTH Africa is aware of its legal obligation, a spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa said, referring to a proposed visit by Vladimir Putin after an international court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader. Russian President Putin was expected to visit South Africa in August to attend a BRICS summit. "We are, as the government, cognisant of our legal obligation. However, between now and the summit we will remain engaged with various relevant stakeholders," spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said. While there has been no official confirmation of Putin's visit, he has been expected to attend the 15th BRICS summit, as…
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US-Russia in battle for Africa

US-Russia in battle for Africa

THE United States is "exerting unprecedented pressure" on African countries, including attempting to disrupt a planned Russia-Africa summit, Russia's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying late on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin will host the second Russia-Africa summit in July in St. Petersburg, an event intended to underline his attempts to curry favour in African nations after being shunned by the West over his invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, quoted by the state TASS agency reiterated Moscow's accusations of the "collective West" staging a campaign to isolate Moscow. "The United States and its allies are…
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Putin ally says new weapons for Kyiv will lead to global catastrophe

Putin ally says new weapons for Kyiv will lead to global catastrophe

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin said that deliveries of offensive weapons to Kyiv that threaten Russia's territories will lead to a global catastrophe and make arguments against using weapons of mass destruction untenable. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Duma - Russia's lower house of parliament - warned that the United States and NATO's support of Ukraine is leading the world to a "terrible war". "If Washington and NATO countries supply weapons that will be used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten, this will lead to retaliatory measures using more powerful weapons,"…
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