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Biden welcomes Putin's arrest warrant

March 19, 2023 00:00:00


NEW YORK, Mar 18 (BBC/AFP): US President Joe Biden has welcomed the International Criminal Court's issuing of an arrest warrant against his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The ICC accused President Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine - something President Biden said the Russian leader had "clearly" done.

The claims focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow's invasion in 2022. Moscow has denied the allegations and denounced the warrants as "outrageous".

It is highly unlikely that much will come of the move, as the ICC has no powers to arrest suspects without the co-operation of a country's government. Russia is not an ICC member country, meaning the court, located in The Hague, has no authority there.

However, it could affect Mr Putin in other ways, such as being unable to travel internationally. He could now be arrested if he sets foot in any of the court's 123 member states. Mr Putin is only the third president to be issued with an ICC arrest warrant.


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