Dec. 5 (UPI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week, in a rare trip abroad after the issuance of an international arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.
Russian presidential aid Yuri Ushakov announced the trips on Monday, saying that Putin would take part in a “working visit” in both countries, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported.
“I hope that these will be very useful negotiations, which we consider extremely important,” Ushakov said.
During his visit, Putin is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Putin’s visit is scheduled to coincide with part of the COP28 Climate Summit which taking place in Dubai.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told the newspaper Correio Brasiliense that his government would invite Putin to attend the G20 summit in September 2024 despite recognizing the ICC’s authority
“Whether Putin comes or not is up to him, [but] he’ll be invited,” he said. “Since Brazil is a signatory [to the Rome Statute], Brazil is responsible.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin for the deportation of Ukrainian children.
While Putin faces the risk of arrest in ICC signatory countries like South Africa, France and Germany, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not signatories.
Earlier this year, Putin skipped a summit in South Africa, ostensibly due to the ICC warrant, which is enforceable in South Africa.
