Putin will not be arrested if he attends G20 Summit in Rio: Brazil President

As Brazil takes over the rotational presidency of G20 in December, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has assured that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will not be arrested if he attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next year.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin.(via AFP)

Putin was conspicuous by his absence at the G20 Summit as world leaders gathered in New Delhi for the two-day event in New Delhi. He had also skipped the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg following a row over whether South Africa would be forced to arrest Putin under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

The ICC issued a warrant in March against Putin over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children, a war crime. The Kremlin, however, insists the warrant against Putin is "void".