G20 in Brazil: Lula expects Russian president’s attendance
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it would be up to the Brazilian courts to decide on the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, should he come to Brazil for the next G20 Summit in November 2024. Putin did not attend the meeting of the group’s heads of state and government in New Delhi, India, which ended on Sunday.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Putin for war crimes committed in Ukraine. As a signatory to the agreement that created the court, Brazil should comply with the warrant if Putin comes to the country.
On Saturday (Sep. 9), Lula said during an interview with an Indian channel that Putin could come to Brazil peacefully: “If I’m the president of Brazil and he comes to the country, there’s no reason for him to be arrested,” he remarked.
On Sunday, the Brazilian president said the Russian president will be invited to Brazil for the next summit and he hopes that the war will be over by then. Lula also said he will study why Brazil is a signatory to the agreement that created the International Criminal Court, while other countries, like the US, China, India, and Russia have not joined the compact.
G20 on the war
The Declaration of G20 Leaders, the summit’s main document, took a stance on conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine. The heads of state and government expressed “deep concern about the immense human suffering and the adverse impact of wars and conflicts around the world.”
Mentioning the situation in Ukraine, the leaders agreed to sign that “all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.”
In Lula’s view, the European Union’s signature is symbolic. In previous statements, the Brazilian has criticized Western countries for “encouraging war” by supplying arms to Ukraine, and has questioned the role of international organizations in conflicts, such as the United Nations Security Council. “Getting the entire European Union to sign a document putting the issue of peace on the agenda is an important step forward,” Lula argued.
The G20 brings together 19 of the world’s largest economies plus the European Union. The African Union also became a permanent member during the summit in India, when the rotating presidency of the group was handed over to Brazil. The next meeting of leaders will take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19, 2024.
