South African President: Russia has clearly stated the fact that "this is equivalent to declaring war" | South Africa | President
According to a report on the Qatari Al Jazeera website on July 18th, South African President Ramaphosa said that any attempt to arrest Russian President Putin during his visit to South Africa next month will become a declaration of war against Russia.
In a court document released on the 18th, Ramaphosa stated that "Russia has clearly stated that arresting its current president is equivalent to declaring war.".
According to reports, Putin has been invited to attend the BRICS summit planned to be held in Johannesburg next month, but he is the target of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. If Putin attends the meeting, Pretoria, as a member of the International Criminal Court, should execute the arrest warrant issued by the Court.
The report mentions that South Africa's diplomatic dilemma is unfolding in court: the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is attempting to force the government to take action - if Kremlin leaders step onto South African soil, they should ensure that Putin is detained and handed over to the International Criminal Court.
Ramaphosa stated in his response that the Democratic Alliance's application was "irresponsible" and stated that national security was at risk. The President has proposed that the execution of arrest warrants may threaten "national security, peace, and order", and based on this fact, South Africa will seek immunity under the rules of the International Criminal Court.
He said, "Taking the risk of engaging in war with Russia is not in accordance with our constitution." He also said that this goes against his duty to protect the country.
Ramaphosa stated that the arrest of Putin would undermine South Africa's mission to end the Ukrainian war and "prematurely end any peaceful solution.".