US President Joe Biden (pictured on March 17, 2023).
Washington – The issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the war in Ukraine is justified according to the American head of state, Joe Biden. The Russian president committed war crimes, according to Biden, who was quoted by Reuters. On Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin due to the abduction of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Russia.
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“He clearly committed war crimes,” Biden told reporters. “I think it's justified,” he then commented on the issuance of the arrest warrant.
Along with the Russian president, the ICC also began prosecuting the Kremlin's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvovova-Bělovová. According to Moscow, the court's decision has no legal basis and is “outrageous and unacceptable”.
Russia, like the United States, does not recognize the International Criminal Court. But according to Biden, the court's arguments are strong.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who, according to Reuters, has visited Ukraine four times since February 2022, said that hundreds of children were taken from Ukrainian territory to Russian orphanages and children's homes. “We believe that many of them were then given up for adoption in Russia,” Khan said.
A study published in February by America's Yale University said Russia held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in at least 43 facilities in occupied Crimea and in Russia apparently intended for re-education.
The ICC tries individuals for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. Motions to initiate a trial may be made by the state concerned, the prosecutor of the tribunal, or the UN Security Council.
