By Sheji Halima
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Pope Francis burial, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Concern over quashing speculation that the Russian leader might make an appearance in spite of an international arrest warrant against him.
When asked by journalists whether Putin had plans to attend the burial on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “No, the president doesn’t have any such plans.”
Moscow has yet to decide who will represent Russia at the funeral, he added.
Heads of state and government from around the world are expected to travel to Rome to attend a funeral service at the Vatican and Francis’ burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin’s attendance was always considered unlikely, however, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in 2023.
The arrest warrant was over the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia. Moscow refers to the incidents as evacuations.
If the Russian president travelled to Rome, Italian authorities would be obligated to arrest him, as the country is a signatory to the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC.
Putin expressed his condolences following the pope’s death on Monday, hailing him for actively promoting “dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches as well as constructive cooperation between Russia and the Holy See.” (dpa/NAN)
