Chancellor points out “tradition” of immunity, but does not rule out Brazilian court arrest order against Putin at G20

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira admitted that there may be a court order to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he comes to Brazil for the G20 leaders’ summit in November.

Although he emphasized that there is a “tradition” of immunity for heads of state, the chancellor did not rule out that Brazilian justice orders Putin’s arrest, creating a diplomatic imbroglio of enormous magnitude.

“There could be that. I cannot limit, restrict a judge, nor imagine or guess what they will do. There could be, so many other things could happen”, said Vieira, during participation in the CNN Interviews(13).

which forces its 124 member countries to arrest him and transfer him to the Hague for trial. Brazil signed and ratified the Rome Statute, which created the ICC.

The Russian leader is accused of illegally deporting Ukrainian children, during the war that started in 2022, to Russia — which would have constituted a war crime.

The Brazilian chancellor reiterated that Putin was invited to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and “will come if he wants or can”. In the last two meetings of the bloc’s leaders, which took place in Indonesia and India after the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian president was absent.

Vieira made a point of observing: “All heads of state have international protection and immunity privileges. Even in New York, the United Nations is on American territory, there is a headquarters agreement that requires different treatment and immunities to be granted to heads of state who participate in UN assemblies. So, it’s the same thing.

The minister, however, pondered: “I don’t know what could happen, if any judge (of first instance) could give a measure, a request for arrest. I can’t act within futurology, what will happen I don’t know.”