South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has decided that the country should leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.
"The governing party has taken that decision that it is prudent that South Africa should pull out of the ICC," Ramaphosa informed during a press conference with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto, as the latter visited South Africa.
Ramaphosa said the decision was made mostly due to the court's unfair treatment of certain nations.
"We would like this matter of unfair treatment to be properly discussed, but in the meantime the governing party has decided once again that there should be a pull out," he stated.
Membership in the International Criminal Court obliges South Africa to follow its rules and issued warrants, which means that it would have to arrest Vladimir Putin as he visits the country during the forthcoming BRICS summit scheduled for late August.
Commenting on the ICC's decision, Russia's Embassy in the US called the issuing of the warrant "reminiscent of sluggish schizophrenia."
Moreover, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya stated that the ICC showed that it reached "new lows."
"First of all, the decision of the ICC is absolutely null and void for us," Nebenzya stated.
The Hague-based ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Putin and his commissioner for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova in March, citing "unlawful transfer" of children from the combat zone. The Kremlin said Russia is not party to the ICC and that the alleged crime had not taken place.