G20 Summit in India

Putin won’t come – will Lavrov be arrested now?

Yesterday, September 7 2023 | 4:30 p.m

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend via video. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will do all the work for Moscow during the summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

The Kremlin has not known for a long time whether Putin will take part as a video speaker – as he recently did at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Johannesburg in August. He has completed several races there.

Russia’s chief negotiator is still working “tensely” in preparation for the summit. According to reports, it is not yet certain whether there will be a final declaration from the group of leading industrial countries and developing countries. Voting on the document took place at the level of Sherpas – chief negotiators – and experts, Peskov said.

Penalty orders, war in Ukraine, regional elections – there are many reasons why Putin is not flying to India

On August 25, Putin initially only announced that he would not come to India. A presidential spokesman later said it was still being clarified whether Putin could take part in another form. The Kremlin leader justified the cancellation of the recent trip by saying his presence inside the country was necessary because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

At least in South Africa, Putin has to fear arrest because of a warrant out for his arrest from the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine.

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However, Putin’s attention may also be on regional elections in Russia this Sunday, while the summit is under way in India. The vote was also held in occupied Ukraine in violation of international law. Neither Ukraine nor the international community recognizes elections in war zones.

Lavrov is not facing arrest

There is no international criminal warrant against Putin’s representative, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Moreover, India – like China or the United States – does not recognize the decisions of the International Criminal Court.