Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared to soft-pedal not attending an economic summit slated to be held in South Africa's Johannesburg in August in the midst of a row over an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.

He said that he doesn't think his presence at the summit  is "more important than my presence here, in Russia."

Earlier this month, South African authorities said that the Russian president would not attend the conference of BRICS nations due to the warrant despite being invited initially. 

Putin told Russian media on Saturday that he's "in contact with all colleagues," referring to the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which along with Russia make up the economic bloc. 

He added that he would attend the summit via video link and that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to Johannesburg.