Vladimir Putin will not be invited to the G20 summit in South Africa, set to take place in Johannesburg on November 21–22, 2025, reported The Moscow Times on December 16.
The decision stems from an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Putin’s arrest over the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, classified as a war crime.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, confirmed the information, stating, “The legal situation has not changed since the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. We cannot influence the ICC’s decision.”
As a signatory to the Rome Statute, the legal framework of the ICC, South Africa is obligated to arrest Putin once he enters the country. South Africa assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 and will host the upcoming summit as part of its leadership duties.
The ICC’s warrant had already disrupted Putin’s international engagements earlier this year. In August, he skipped the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, a meeting that could have marked his first major foreign visit since the start of the war in Ukraine. Instead, he sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Similarly, in November, Putin avoided the G20 summit in Brazil, citing the potential controversy surrounding his arrest warrant. He remarked that his presence could overshadow the event, noting, “What, am I going to go there on purpose to disrupt the normal operation of this forum? We understand perfectly well that even if we exclude the ICC, all the talk will be about that. I will actually disrupt the work of the G20. Why do I need to do that?”
On December 3, reports emerged that the Russian presidential aircraft and resources were used in a program that forcibly removed children from occupied Ukrainian territories.
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