President Joe Biden stated that the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin was “justified” in light of Russia’s ongoing aggression on Ukraine.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and the Russian presidential commissioner for children’s rights, accusing them of participating in the wrongful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from seized parts of Ukraine to Russia as well as war crimes.
The action means if Putin steps foot in any of the court’s 123 member states, that state is compelled to arrest him. The ICC does not have the United States as a member.
According to Ukrainian military sources on Saturday morning, Russian forces fired 34 airstrikes, one missile strike, and 57 rounds of anti-aircraft fire over the course of 24 hours. Olaf Scholz, chancellor of Germany, was among the world leaders who praised the verdict, stating that it proved “nobody is above the law” on Saturday.
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Will Vladimir Putin be Arrested?
Hundreds of Ukrainian children have been forcefully transported to Russia, where several families have adopted them. That is only one of many atrocities, including torture and the purposeful targeting of people, for which the Ukrainian government seeks accountability from Russian soldiers and leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed it as a momentous choice “from which historic responsibilities would commence.”
The warrant will probably not result in a trial. Putin can only be arrested if he travels to one of the 123 nations that are members of the ICC. Biden recognized this while stating that the warrant made “a very compelling case.”
This is the first time the court has issued an arrest warrant for one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Putin will now be labeled a suspected war criminal for the remainder of his life by the court tasked with examining some of the most egregious crimes of the past several decades.
It places him with notorious characters such as Slobodan Miloevi, the former president of Yugoslavia, and Omar al-Bashir, the former dictator of Sudan. At a time when Russia is attempting to gain support for its conflict – or neutralize support for Ukraine – from nations in the global south, his travel may be restricted.
But, ICC member states are not required to execute arrest orders and have in the past declined to do so.
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