Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will lead Russia's delegation to the G20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, rather than Vladimir Putin, whom Brazil is required to arrest by an International Criminal Court order.

Source: Russian state-owned news agency TASS with reference to Russian ambassador Marat Berdyev, as reported by European Pravda

Details:Putin announced last month that he will not attend the G20 summit in Brazil. The Russian ruler rationalised his choice by stating that he did not want to "disrupt the normal operation of this forum".

The Kremlin ruler also vowed to find someone who "at a high level will adequately represent the interests of our country in Brazil".

The Russian foreign minister has already represented Putin at a number of high-level events, including UN General Assembly sessions and last year's G20 Summit in India.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva previously stated that he would invite the Russian leader to this year's summit, and Brazil also stated that it was "unlikely" to fulfil the ICC arrest demand.

At the same time, in June, Putin travelled to Mongolia, which is also a signatory to the Rome Statute, and escaped detention.

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