Russian President Putin’s foreign visits have been rare since the Ukraine war. According to the Kremlin, that will change in the fall.
Moscow – Heads of state and government of the Brics countries met in South Africa from August 22 to 24 for a summit on South Africa. Foreign Minister Lavrov traveled to Johannesburg from the Russian side, but not from President Vladimir Putin. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against the President of Russia for kidnapping Ukrainian children during the Ukrainian war. The host of the Brics summit, South Africa, is required to carry out an arrest warrant.
Precisely because of this prospect, Putin ultimately decided not to attend in person. Despite his punitive order, Putin wants to make several trips abroad next fall. This was reported by the state news agency cup, which relied on statements by Kremlin spokesman Peskov. When and where exactly Putin will travel, Peskov did not specify. For obvious reasons, they didn’t want to announce it ahead of time, he added.
Türkiye and China are likely destinations for Putin’s trip
You can imagine that Putin will first land in Türkiye. Kremlin spokesman Peskov confirmed that Russian President and Turkish President Erdogan wish to meet soon. Peskov did not say whether the meeting would take place in Russia or Türkiye. On Monday evening (28/8/2023), the spokesman for the ruling AKP, Ömer Celik, also announced that Erdogan would like to meet Putin “in the near future”. One of the topics was the grain agreement with Ukraine which was suspended by Russia.
Türkiye and the United Nations mediate between Russia and Ukraine. In July 2023, the Kremlin announced that Putin would travel to China in October. So Putin’s first trip abroad could also take him there. Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, told the news agency interfax at that time also Putin was also planning a trip to Türkiye. Only last Friday (25/8/2023), Peskov said, ahead of the G20 Summit in India in September, the trip is currently not included in Putin’s schedule.
A rare trip by Putin since the Ukraine war
Putin has not set foot in a NATO country since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022. This is one of the reasons why a visit to Turkey will be something special, even though the two countries have good relations. Türkiye refuses to implement most of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia. In December last year, Putin was a guest in Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. Even earlier, in July 2022, he also paid a state visit to Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Wherever Putin first goes this fall, it will be his first trip abroad since the death of Wagner Group chairman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who, according to Russian sources, died in a plane crash on August 23. The Kremlin denies responsibility for his death.
