South African leader says arrest of President Putin is a declaration of war on Russia

"It would be reckless, unconstitutional and illegal if the South African government were given the powers to arrest President Putin. It would be a declaration of war on Russia," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

According to President Ramaphosa, declaring war on Russia would be contrary to the South African Constitution.

"I have a constitutional duty to protect the sovereignty, peace and security of the Republic of South Africa, and to respect, protect and promote the rights of the people of the Republic to a safe and secure life. These rights are clearly enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the South African leader was quoted as saying.

South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). This means that South Africa is obliged to arrest Russian President Putin when he arrives in Johannesburg on an ICC warrant.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the International Criminal Court's announcement of the "arrest" of President Putin is unacceptable, and any decision of the ICC is null and void for Russia.

The upcoming BRICS summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, scheduled for August 22-24, in a face-to-face format.

South Africa is also said to have suggested moving the meeting venue to China. However, in a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear that "Beijing supports South Africa as the rotating chair to successfully host BRICS cooperation activities this year." In addition, India and Brazil also opposed the change of venue.