President Biden said Friday that a request by the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges was “justified”.
He told reporters in Washington that Putin “clearly committed war crimes.”
While the US does not recognize the court, Biden said it was “a very strong point” to denounce the Russian leader’s actions in ordering the invasion.
The ICC accused Putin of personal responsibility for kidnapping children in Ukraine, saying in a statement that he was “allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and unlawful transfer of (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine.” is to the Russian Federation.”
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ISSUES PUTIN ARREST WARRANT FOR DEPORTING CHILDREN FROM UKRAINE
FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks via video conference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, October 21, 2022 with Magadan Region Governor Sergey Nosov War crimes warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged involvement in child kidnapping from Ukraine. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
The move was immediately rebuffed by Moscow.
It was the first time the World Court had issued an arrest warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court or extradite its nationals. The chances of Putin being tried before the ICC are highly unlikely.
FILE – The exterior of the International Criminal Court is pictured in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, file)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia does not recognize the International Criminal Court and considers its decisions “legally void”.
WHAT IS THE ICC THAT ISSUED PUTIN’S ARREST WARRANT, AND WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES LOADING TO IT?
Peskov declined to comment when asked if Putin would avoid traveling to countries where he could be arrested under the ICC warrant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the action of the International Criminal Court as a “historic decision that will carry historic responsibility”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on social and economic development of Crimea and Sevastopol via video conference at the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 17, 2023. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Ukraine’s human rights chief Dmytro Lubinets said that 16,226 children were deported, based on data from the country’s National Information Office. Ukraine managed to bring back 308 children.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source : www.foxnews.com