Putin to be invited for G20 summit: Brazil

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Dec 2023 09:17
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The Brazilian President notes that Russia does not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but since his country is a member, it naturally bears responsibility.

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a plenary session at the COP28 UN Climate Summit, Friday, December 1, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva assured on Monday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will be among the invitees to the G20 summit, due to be held in Brazil in 2024.

The Correio Brasiliense newspaper quoted Lula as saying, "Whether Putin comes or not, he will be invited. There are [judicial] proceedings against him, he must assess the consequences".

Lula noted that Russia does not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) but since his country is a member, it naturally bears responsibility.

Earlier, during an interview in September with the Firstpost news show on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, Lula mentioned that Putin would be invited to the upcoming event.

"I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil," Lula said as quoted by Reuters. "What I can say to you is that if I'm president of Brazil, and he comes to Brazil, there's no way he will be arrested," he added.

Bias in the ICC

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, alleging that he committed the war crime of unlawfully displacing hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia has refuted these accusations, denying any involvement in war crimes or the forcible removal of Ukrainian children.

Since its inception, the ICC has often been biased as far as the investigation of crimes and the prosecution of individuals is concerned.

The West, led by the US, has orchestrated wars all across the Global South that have caused millions of children to go hungry, malnourished, displaced, and even killed, including in Yemen, where the US-led blockade has caused over two million children to suffer from acute malnutrition.

Palestine as well, emerges as another example, where the Israeli occupation is preventing food, water, fuel, medicine, and electricity from reaching Palestinians amid the Israeli genocide.

Yet, these issues have never been taken into consideration at the Hague-based ICC.