Putin arrest warrant an issue for summit of developing nations
LA TimesRussian Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with his counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations in Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in South Africa with counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations for discussions Thursday that were preceded by officials questioning the West’s intentions in the war in Ukraine and calling the United Nations Security Council a “failing” institution. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor also confirmed that an invitation had been extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a larger BRICS summit in South Africa in August despite him being the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court. Before the talks in Cape Town got underway, South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS, Anil Sooklal, referred to the West’s military aid to Ukraine as one of the things that “fuels the conflict.” “Any endeavor that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem,” Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western “attempts” to transfer weapons to Ukraine.