Russian FM Lavrov Replaces Putin at G20 Summit in Brazil Due to Concerns Over Arrest

The Russian delegation at the upcoming G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18-19 will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rather than Vladimir Putin.

This arrangement was confirmed by Russia’s Ambassador to Brazil, Marat Berdyev, through statements reported by the Russian state agency TASS.

Brazil, as a signatory of the Rome Statute and a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), would have been obligated to arrest Putin under the ICC warrant issued in March 2023. The warrant also applies to Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.

Putin previously announced in October that he would not attend the G20 summit, citing a desire to avoid disrupting the forum’s proceedings. He assured that his administration would send a representative capable of “adequately” upholding Russia’s interests. Lavrov, who has represented Russia at similar high-level events, including the UN General Assembly sessions and last year’s G20 summit in India, will assume this role in Rio.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had initially extended an invitation to Putin for the G20 summit, openly stating, however, that Brazil might not enforce the ICC arrest warrant.

The ICC warrant for Putin, connected to alleged war crimes in Ukraine, has influenced Putin’s recent decisions on international travel, including skipping events in countries bound by ICC obligations.

Earlier, in September 2024, Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia, despite an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.

Mongolia, a signatory of the Rome Statute, chose not to comply with the ICC warrant, citing its reliance on Russia and China for energy imports and its longstanding policy of neutrality.