President Joe Biden has applauded the recent decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on allegations of committing war crimes in Ukraine. According to President Biden, Putin has clearly committed war crimes in Ukraine, particularly in the illegal transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia since the Moscow invasion in 2022.
However, the allegations have been denied by Moscow, which has described them as outrageous. It is expected that not much will happen regarding the ICC’s decision since the court lacks the authority to arrest suspects without the cooperation of their respective governments. Furthermore, Russia is not a member of the ICC, implying that the court has no jurisdiction there.
Despite this, the ICC’s decision could significantly affect Putin in various ways, such as restricting his international travel since he can now be arrested if he sets foot in any of the court’s 123 member countries. Putin is the third president to receive an arrest warrant from the ICC court.
President Biden acknowledges that the court has no jurisdiction in the United States; however, he supports the decision, indicating that it makes sense. Furthermore, his administration has already officially determined that Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict. In February, Vice President Kamala Harris also stated that those responsible for the war crimes would be held accountable.
Recently, the United Nations released a report that identified Moscow’s forced removal of Ukrainian children to areas under its control as a war crime. In a statement released on Friday, the ICC stated that it had reasonable grounds to believe that Putin committed the crime directly and was also working with others. The ICC also accused Putin of failing to use his presidential powers to prevent the forced removal of children from their country.