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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden welcomed the move, stating that Putin had “clearly” committed the crimes in question. The accusations relate to the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as “outrageous.”
As Russia is not a member of the ICC, the court has no authority in the country, and the arrest warrant is unlikely to result in any practical consequences, such as arrest. However, Putin could face difficulties travelling internationally, as he may be detained if he enters any of the court’s 123 member states. Putin is only the third sitting president to have been issued with an ICC arrest warrant.
Biden noted that while the ICC holds no sway in the United States, the issuance of the warrant “makes a very strong point.” The US administration had previously determined that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine, with Vice-President Kamala Harris stating in February that those involved would be “held to account.” A UN report released earlier this week found that Moscow’s forced removal of Ukrainian children amounted to a war crime.
In a statement, the ICC accused Putin of committing the crimes directly and in collaboration with others. The court also alleged that he had failed to use his presidential powers to prevent the deportation of children. Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, is also wanted by the ICC for the same crimes.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said that the warrants were “based upon forensic evidence, scrutiny, and what’s been said by those two individuals.” The court initially considered keeping the warrants secret but chose to make them public in an effort to prevent further crimes from being committed.
Putin’s spokesperson called the court’s decisions “null and void,” while Russian opposition activists welcomed the announcement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the ICC and Khan for their decision to bring charges against “state evil.”
locotvgh.com