“Insignificant”, “unacceptable”, comparable to toilet paper. Thus Russia replies to the arrest warrant that the International Criminal Court has issued against President Vladimir Putin, accused of crimes related to the deportation of civilians – and in particular children – from the territories of Ukraine occupied during the war.
“Outrageous and unacceptable,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, describing the decision of the International Criminal Court. As for Russia, this is a “nothing” decision, he stressed. Asked whether Putin will now have problems traveling to countries that recognize the ICC, Peskov snapped back: “I have nothing to add in this regard.”
“The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin. There is no need to explain where this card should be used,” Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Twitter.
“The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, even from a legal point of view,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zacharova. Zacharova recalls that Moscow has not adhered to the Rome statute of the CPI and therefore has no obligation towards it.
The court has also issued an arrest warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights. The official reacts by saying that the Ukrainian children, whom she is accused of deporting to Russia, are surrounded “by loving people”.
“It is great that the international community has appreciated the work to help the children of our country: the fact that we don’t leave them in war zones, that we take them out, that we create good conditions for them, that we surround them with loving people who they take care of them”, he told the Ria-Novosti agency.