Vladimir Putin has been invited to two major global meetings next year.
The Russian dictator has been largely ostracized by the international community since the invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Few world leaders want anything to do with him.
However, Putin is now invited to two meetings with some of the world's most powerful countries in Brazil next year, reports Politico.
Powerful Countries Involved
The meetings in question are the planned G20 meeting in South America, which gathers 19 of the world's countries along with the European and African Unions. The second summit is organized by the BRICS countries in the same nation. This latter organization is described as a collaboration between five of the world's largest and fastest-growing state economies, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
"Putin is invited to participate in the G20 and BRICS meeting in Brazil," confirmed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at a press conference.
Potential Arrest
However, there is little indication that the dictator will actually attend. He rarely travels abroad, except to Belarus, after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin earlier this year. This means that the Russian leader could be arrested if he leaves the country, although he has been able to be in Saudi Arabia this week, a country where Putin is protected.
"Whether he comes or not, he faces prosecution. He must consider the consequences," says Lula.
Brazil's president did not give a clear answer about whether the country's authorities would arrest Putin if he appears. "Maybe, maybe not. It's a legal decision. And a president of the republic does not make legal decisions."
Expanding the Group
Lula, however, emphasizes that Brazil, unlike Russia, has actually joined the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "Brazil has signed and Brazil has a responsibility," says the president.
Next year's G20 meeting in the South American country will take place in November 2024, while the BRICS meeting occurs a month earlier. The latter organization recently announced that six additional countries will join as members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
