South Africa to host BRICS summit despite Putin arrest warrant, Ethiopia seeks to join the bloc

South Africa confirmed it will host the BRICS summit in August as planned, amid speculation that the event may move to China, while Ethiopia has become the latest country to have asked to join the bloc of emerging markets.

In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. As a signatory to the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Putin if he attends the BRICS summit, as he has a standing invitation to visit the country in August.

A spokesperson to South African president has now confirmed that the whole summit, including the main part involving the BRICS heads of state, would take place in the country, amid speculation that the BRICS countries were considering moving the summit to China, which is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, has expressed an interest in joining the BRICS bloc of emerging markets, the foreign ministry said. The BRICS nations may agree to induct around five new members into the grouping during the August summit, culminating a long-pending expansion plan. Out of the 25 countries that have asked to join the grouping, the frontrunners reportedly include Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, and Argentina. “We expect BRICS will give us a positive response to the request we have made,” Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said. BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the world’s population and about 26% of the global economy.