The International Criminal Court made an announcement on Friday stating that it had issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a government official involved in an alleged plot to forcefully deport Ukrainian children to Russia. However, Russia is not a member of the ICC, and the court doesn’t conduct trials in absentia. Therefore, if the accused are to face ICC proceedings, they must either be surrendered by Moscow or arrested outside of Russia.
On Friday, officials confirmed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be visiting Russia for the first time since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began. The relationship between Russia and China has raised concerns among Western leaders as the conflict in Ukraine intensifies.
In response to Ukraine’s requests to strengthen its air defense, two NATO members, Poland and Slovakia, have granted the requests. Poland will provide four MiG-29 fighter jets, while Slovakia will send 13.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision on Friday to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Zelensky said: “Today we have a significant decision of international justice. In a case that has real prospects,” Zelensky said in his nightly address Friday. “This is a historic decision that will lead to historic responsibility.”
The Ukrainian president has stated that their country’s investigations have revealed evidence indicating direct involvement of the Kremlin in the forced deportation of children to Russia.
“In the criminal proceedings being investigated by our law enforcement officers, more than 16,000 cases of forced deportation of Ukrainian children by the occupier have already been recorded. But the real, full number of deportees may be much higher,” he said. “Such a criminal operation would have been impossible without the order of the highest leader of the terrorist state.”
After expressing his appreciation towards the ICC and Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, Zelensky condemned the heinous act of forcibly deporting children. He further stated that Ukrainian officials have been successful in bringing back 300 children who were previously deported to Russia.
