Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) speaks to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa throughout a plenary session on the Russia-Africa summit within the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2019.

Sergei Chirikov/AP

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Sergei Chirikov/AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) speaks to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa throughout a plenary session on the Russia-Africa summit within the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2019.

Sergei Chirikov/AP

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t be attending an financial summit in Johannesburg subsequent month, South Africa’s authorities mentioned Wednesday. That lets the summit’s host nation breathe a sigh of aid from a important authorized dilemma of whether or not to behave on a world arrest warrant issued for the Russian chief.

“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister, Mr Sergey Lavrov,” the workplace of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.

A Kremlin spokesman confirmed to Russian state media Ria Novosti that Lavrov will attend in individual, and mentioned Putin could have “full participation” within the convention remotely by video.

The summit in late August will deliver collectively Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — a bunch of economies often known as BRICS — and most of them will ship their high leaders.

The query of whether or not Putin would present up in individual created a headache for South Africa. It is a signatory of the International Criminal Court, which issued the arrest warrant for Putin in March for alleged warfare crimes dedicated throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In South African courtroom papers made public on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said that arresting Putin would “risk engaging in war with Russia.”

Ramaphosa’s governing get together has shut relations with Moscow and has taken an formally impartial stance on the warfare in Ukraine. His authorities has repeatedly abstained in United Nations votes to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to call for an end to the warfare.

South Africa infuriated many nations, together with the United States, when it hosted and took half in naval exercises with Russia and China in February, coinciding with the primary anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

In May, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, accused the nation of “arming” Russia, calling it “fundamentally unacceptable.”

The South Africa mentioned it could examine his allegations, with a overseas ministry spokesperson saying in a tweet that authorities weapons authorities had “no record of an approved arms sale by the state to Russia related to the period/incident in question.”

In June, Ramaphosa led a delegation of African leaders to Ukraine and Russia, in an effort provoke peace talks.

Ramaphosa has argued that South Africa refuses to be drawn into taking sides within the battle between Russia and Ukraine, insisting on a place of nonalignment — with many, together with the usquestioning its neutrality.