Putin to Skip 2025 G20 Summit in South Africa

Russian president Vladimir Putin will not attend the 2025 G20 summit in South Africa, as previously anticipated. The decision follows a pending arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes. South Africa, a signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute, maintains neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war but continues ties with Moscow. Putin previously skipped the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg due to similar legal concerns. The ICC accuses him of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children, stating there are reasonable grounds for his individual criminal responsibility.