Brazilian president says Russian chief will likely be invited to the G20 assembly in Rio de Janeiro subsequent yr.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has stated that Russian chief Vladimir Putin won’t be arrested in Brazil if he attends the Group of 20 assembly in Rio de Janeiro subsequent yr.

Lula, talking to the Firstpost information present on the sidelines of the G20 assembly in Delhi on Saturday, stated Putin can be invited to subsequent yr’s occasion.

He added that he himself deliberate to attend a BRICS bloc of creating nations assembly due in Russia earlier than the Rio assembly.

“I consider that Putin can go simply to Brazil,” Lula stated. “What I can say to you is that if I’m president of Brazil, and he involves Brazil, there’s no method he will likely be arrested.”

The assertion comes after the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, accusing him of the warfare crime of illegally deporting lots of of kids from Ukraine.

Russia has denied its forces have engaged in warfare crimes or forcibly taken Ukrainian kids.

Putin has repeatedly skipped worldwide gatherings and was not current on the G20 get-together in Delhi, sending Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute which led to the founding of the ICC.

Lula’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

On Saturday, the G20 nations adopted a consensus declaration that prevented condemning Russia for the warfare in Ukraine however referred to as on all states to not use drive to seize territory.

The consensus got here as a shock because the G20 is deeply divided over the warfare in Ukraine, with Western nations earlier pushing for sturdy condemnation of Russia within the Leaders’ Declaration, whereas others demanded a give attention to broader financial points.

“We name on all states to uphold the ideas of worldwide legislation together with territorial integrity and sovereignty, worldwide humanitarian legislation, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability,” the declaration stated.

“We … welcome all related and constructive initiatives that assist a complete, simply, and sturdy peace in Ukraine.

“The use or menace of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” the assertion added.