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Brazil to welcome Putin's participation in G20 summit — top diplomat

Mauro Vieira also pointed out that Brazil is not obliged to comply with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) warrant for the Russian leader's arrest

BUENOS AIRES, December 28. /TASS/. The Brazilian authorities will welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin's participation in the G20 summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told BBC News Brasil.

"If he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] wants to come, we will be very happy to welcome him at meetings in Brazil," the top diplomat said.

When asked whether there was a possibility of Putin's arrest if he arrived, Vieira said that the country’s authorities "would not take any initiatives to make that happen." He also pointed out that Brazil is not obliged to comply with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) warrant for the Russian leader's arrest.

Earlier, the Brazilian president's special envoy for international affairs, Celso Amorim, said that the upcoming G20 summit would be incomplete without Putin's participation. Brazil currently chairs the G20.

On March 17, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children. As Putin pointed out, Russian authorities acted entirely legally in removing children from the conflict zone to save their lives and health, and never opposed their reunification with their families.