Brazil president backtracks on claim there was ‘no way’ Vladimir Putin would be arrested in Rio de Janeiro

Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sought unsuccessfully to mediate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Photo: AP

Nidhi Verma

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rowed back yesterday from saying Brazil would ignore a war crimes arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while saying he would review Brazil’s membership in the International Criminal Court.

On Saturday, while in India for a Group of 20 nations meeting, Mr Lula told a local interviewer that there was “no way” Putin would be arrested if he attended next year’s summit, which is due to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which obliges members to comply with its arrest warrants.