South Africa says an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin had complicated matters for the country ahead of a BRICS summit it is due to host in August.
The bloc of five leading emerging economies groups together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Pretoria has close ties with Moscow, has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and also hosted a controversial joint military exercises with Russia and China, that coincided with the one-year anniversary of the start of the war.
But South Africa faces a diplomatic dilemma following the issuing of the arrest warrant. As a member of the ICC, it would be expected to arrest if Putin steps foot in the country.