Vladimir Putin will not be invited to the G20 summit in South Africa, scheduled to take place in the capital of Johannesburg on November 21–22, 2025.
This was reported by the Moscow Times on December 16.
The decision is linked to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Putin’s arrest over the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, classified as a war crime.
“The legal situation has not changed since the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. We cannot influence the ICC’s decision,” stated Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
As a signatory to the Rome Statute, which establishes the ICC’s legal framework, South Africa is obligated to arrest Putin if he enters the country. South Africa assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 and will host the summit as part of its leadership responsibilities.
Ongoing International Fallout
The ICC warrant has already limited Putin’s international engagements this year.
In August, he skipped the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, which could have been his first major foreign visit since the onset of the war in Ukraine. Instead, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended in his place.
Similarly, in November, Putin avoided the G20 summit in Brazil, citing potential controversies over his arrest warrant.
Addressing the situation, he remarked, “Am I going to go there on purpose to disrupt the normal operation of this forum? Even if we exclude the ICC, all the talk will be about that. I will actually disrupt the work of the G20. Why do I need to do that?”
On December 3, reports surfaced that Russian presidential aircraft and resources were used in a program that forcibly relocated children from occupied Ukrainian territories, further intensifying scrutiny over the ICC’s charges.
