Most countries and international organizations expressed their support for Ukraine and noted that the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of Vladimir Putin is a historic decision. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic does not agree with them, who believes that such a decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague will lead to an escalation around the world.
On Friday, March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Both the military-political leadership of Ukraine and representatives of the Russian Federation have already reacted to this event – Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, and propagandist Margarita Simonyan. In turn, Focus collected the reaction of world politicians and international organizations to the news about the issuance of a document for the arrest of the head of the aggressor country.
“Does not affect the status of the Russian Federation”: how the UN reacted to Putin’s arrest
The representative of the Chairman of the UN General Assembly, Polina Kubiyak, assured that the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for the detention of the Russian politician would not affect the status of Russia itself in the organization.
Kubiyak stressed that the ICC is a separate structure that the UN President does not control.
Arrest warrant for Putin: what they say in the European Union
EU High Representative Josep Borrell believes that the precedent of bringing Vladimir Putin to justice will initiate a whole series of criminal cases against those representatives of the military-political leadership of Russia who are guilty of committed and ongoing crimes in Ukraine.
In particular, he mentioned the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation.
Borrell also stressed that the politician will bear individual responsibility for all crimes related to the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
Putin’s arrest: the ICC reacted to the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of Putin
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan said that despite the decision of the court to deprive the President of Russia of his freedom, the International Criminal Court itself intends to cooperate with the Russian Federation.
“I will continue to seek cooperation from the Russian Federation on the situation in Ukraine and will ensure that my office fully fulfills its obligations under Article 54 of the Rome Statute,” he said.
Karim Ahmad Khaan explained the statement on further cooperation with the Russian Federation by the fact that the ICC is considering in parallel several more cases of crimes in which the Russian Federation is involved. In particular, we are talking about the killings of civilians by the Russian military in Bucha in February-March 2022.
“We will not hesitate to file new requests for arrest warrants when the evidence requires it,” he concluded.
“A step towards the biggest conflict”: Serbia’s reaction to the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the President of the Russian Federation
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic believes that the decision of the International Criminal Court regarding the leader of the Russian Federation will provoke the largest conflict in the history of mankind.
The politician said that when he heard the news about the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the President of the Russian Federation, he tried to answer the question “What should Serbia do” in such a situation. However, he did not find a way out of this situation. According to Vucic, after such a decision by the ICC, there can only be further escalation.
“I wonder if anyone is smart enough not to go through with this, and if anyone understands what consequences this will lead to,” the Serbian president said.
Vučić also said that extradition and imprisonment of the head of the Kremlin is additional pressure on countries that, despite sanctions, continue to cooperate with the Russian Federation. As an example, he greets Turkey and Hungary.
“They (Western European countries – ed.) are sending a signal to everyone that everyone who thinks in any way” flirting “with President Putin, in general, talking or thinking about Russia, will bear serious, very serious consequences,” the Serbian leader said. .
International Court of Justice in The Hague: how Latvia reacted to its decision
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Edgars Rinkevich wrote on his Twitter page that he welcomes the decision of the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for “Mr Putin”. The head of the relevant ministry stressed that there should be no impunity for those who violate international law.
ICC decision regarding Vladimir Putin welcomed in Latvia
Imprisonment of Vladimir Putin: what people think about it in Estonia
Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas statedthat with the adoption of the ICC decision to arrest the President of the Russian Federation, the world has become one step closer to judgment day.
The head of the Estonian government called the warrant for Putin’s arrest a “historical signal” that all the atrocities committed by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine were the result of the criminal actions of the military-political leadership of the aggressor country.
“We remind you that no one is safe, not even heads of state. The Russian regime will be held accountable,” Kallas wrote on her Twitter page.
Kaya Kallas calls Putin’s arrest warrant a ‘historic signal’
How did the Netherlands react to the warrant for Putin’s arrest?
Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country Wopke Hoekstra declaredwhich will do everything possible to ensure that the International Court of Justice can safely and independently carry out this difficult task (investigation of crimes related to the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war – ed.)
The Netherlands expressed its readiness to assist the International Criminal Court in every possible way in the “Putin case”
Arrest warrant for Putin: what they say in the unrecognized “DNR”
The pro-Russian administration in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk region also expressed its attitude towards the issuance of a document on the arrest of the Russian leader by the ICC.
Thus, the acting “head” of the unrecognized “republic of the DPR” Denis Pushilin believes that the ICC decision regarding Putin only consolidates his supporters.
Pushilin also said that allegedly China, India, Iran, Israel and the United States allegedly will not attach any importance to the warrant for Putin’s arrest.
The head of the unrecognized “DNR” said that his “republic” does not recognize the decision of the ICC
In addition, the so-called “senator” of the unrecognized “DPR” Natalya Nikonorova even stated that the decision of the International Criminal Court has no significance and consequences for the quasi-republic.
The quasi-republic said that the decision of the ICC for them does not matter
Recall that on March 17 it became known how Ukraine and the Russian Federation reacted to the decision of the court in The Hague to arrest Vladimir Putin. Russia quite predictably stated that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. In Ukraine, they called the court’s decision historic, noting that the criminals should be responsible for the abduction and removal of 16,000 Ukrainian children.
We also informed how the Russian Federation reacted to the decision of the ICC to arrest Putin. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stressed that the country has not signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and is not obliged to obey its decisions.
The decision of the International Criminal Court did not leave aside even artificial intelligence. So, the Midjourney neural network showed what Vladimir Putin would look like at the trial in The Hague.
