The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established by the Rome Statute on July 17, 1998, and is currently ratified by 123 countries. Notable exceptions to the signatory list include India, the US, Russia, and China. Under the statute, the ICC's jurisdiction applies to international crimes and criminals within every member state's territory, even if local laws differ or the country's legal system has a different approach to handling such crimes. The majority of ICC's investigations, ongoing cases, and arrest warrants have been focused on situations in countries of the African Union. On 17 March 2023, following an investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. In order to avoid arrest, Putin recently announced that he would not participate in the upcoming BRICS summit in Durban. Notably, since the group's inception in 2009, no head of state has ever missed a BRICS summit. Under Article 127 of the statute, a country can choose to withdraw from the treaty, and under special circumstances, this process can even be expedited.