US President Joe Biden on Friday said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is justified in issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over allegations of war crimes, US-based The Hill newspaper reported.
"Well, I think it's justified," Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for Delaware. "But the question is, it's not recognized internationally by us, either. But I think it makes a very strong point." On being asked whether Putin should be tried for war crimes, Biden did not directly answer, but said the Russian leader has "clearly committed war crimes."
ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin along with a Russian official
The ICC had earlier on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Putin and another Russian official. The warrant is believed to be one of the first charges against Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, part of a global effort to hold the Russian president and the Russian Federation accountable for atrocities beginning with the full-scale February 2022 invasion.
Putin in the warrant, has been targeted for alleged war crimes. The warrant cites him and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, commissioner for children's rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territory to Russia.
Russia doesn't consider ICC's allegations
The Kremlin blasted the allegations, noting it does not cooperate with the ICC.
"We consider the very posing of the question outrageous and unacceptable. Russia, like a number of states, does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court and, accordingly, any decisions of this kind are null and void for the Russian Federation from the point of view of the law," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tweeted on Friday, The Hill reported.
The United States is no longer a party to the ICC and does not recognize its authority.
Last month, US Vice President Kamala told an international security conference that the U.S. had formally determined Russia had committed crimes against humanity, arguing Russian soldiers had conducted widespread attacks against Ukrainian civilians that included murder, torture and rape.
Next week, Putin is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. US officials have warned that China may be considering providing support to Russia for its war effort in Ukraine, according to The Hill.
Asked about his expectations for the meeting between Xi and Putin, Biden said "we'll see when that meeting takes place."
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