International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan indicated on Monday that the court was compelled to take action against Russian President Vladimir Putin due to accusations of war crimes, labeling the move as "gloomy" and not a cause for celebration. Speaking to justice ministers from around the world gathered in London to discuss increased support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Khan stated, "This is a moment... not for triumph or congratulations." He added, "It is truly a very sad occasion and a very gloomy moment, as for the first time ever, judges of the ICC, or any court, feel it necessary to issue arrest warrants for a leader and senior government officials of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council."
Khan urged, "Bring the children home, return the children, work on reuniting them... If there is any truth to the notion that this is for the children, instead of giving them a foreign passport, return them to the countries of their nationality."
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin noted at the meeting that his office has initiated investigations into over 72,000 incidents of alleged war crimes and will soon sign an agreement to establish an ICC field office in Ukraine. He added, "Bringing a suspect to the dock at the ICC can pose challenges... therefore, it is now the responsibility of countries to closely cooperate with the court."
Earlier today, the Kremlin deemed the ICC's decision as revealing "clear hostility" towards Moscow and Putin personally. This coincides with a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, with Beijing asserting that the arrest warrant reflects a double standard favoring the ICC. The court charged Putin on Friday with committing a war crime by unlawfully deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Moscow rejects the accusations, describing the step as unacceptable and asserting that the court has no legal authority in Russia as it is not a member of the ICC.
Moscow has not hidden the program under which thousands of children were transferred from Ukraine to Russia, claiming it to be a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children left without parents in the conflict area.
