South African President Explains Why Arresting Putin Is Impossible

Arresting Vladimir Putin would be tantamount to declaring war on Russia. This statement was made by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in court documents published on Tuesday, as reported by France24.

"Putin has been invited to next month’s BRICS summit in Johannesburg, but the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for him. According to the warrant, Pretoria, as an ICC member, is obliged to enforce it if the Russian President sets foot in the country," the site reported.

The South African Republic's diplomatic dilemma has surfaced in court, where the leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is attempting to push the government to arrest the Kremlin leader should he enter the country. However, in his counter-statement, Ramaphosa called the opposition's application "irresponsible" and noted that the national security of the country is at stake.

"Russia has made it clear that arresting its current president would be equivalent to declaring war," he stated. "It would be contrary to our Constitution to risk entering into war with Russia," the president added, stressing that this contradicts his obligations to protect the country.