President Vladimir Putin will not attend a diplomatic summit in South Africa next month in person, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, a decision that allows the host nation to avoid the difficult predicament of whether to arrest the Russian leader, who is the subject of an international warrant, APA reports citing The New York Times.

Mr. Putin will participate in the summit via video link, said Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry S. Peskov.

Peskov also confirmed that Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister of the country, Lavrov at the BRICS summit.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency