Putin's arrest warrant would lead to 'largest conflict in human history': Serbia President

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against Russia's President Vladimir Putin is a step towards the "largest conflict in human history," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned during a presser on Friday. "When I was told that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Putin, I... [decided] to think about what to say and especially what we should do," Vucic stressed, adding that the only thing that is certain is that "this is an escalation that has no end and unimaginable consequences".

#ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański on recent arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova in the context of the situation in #Ukraine
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— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) March 17, 2023

Situation in #Ukraine: #ICC judges issue arrest warrants against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova
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— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) March 17, 2023

"I fear that we may be heading toward the greatest conflict in the history of the world," warned the Serbian leader. "I wonder if anyone is smart enough not to bring this to an end (not to go through with this) and if anyone understands the consequences," Vucic furthermore added. 

Zelenskyy calls ICC arrest warrant 'just a beginning' 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a welcoming tone, stressed that the warrant for Putin's arrest issued by the Hague court for the war crimes in Ukraine during the ongoing conflict "is just the beginning of the story". International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Russian Federation, Maria Lvova-Belova, alleging that they are responsible for war crimes, including the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

In an official statement, the Hague Court noted that Children's Ombudsman Lvova-Belova and Putin are responsible for the "illegal deportation of the population and the illegal transfer of the population" from areas that were previously controlled by Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin channels questioned why International Criminal Court chose to be silent about the alleged "theft of children from the Russian population in battle-ravaged eastern fortress city of Bakhmut by Ukraine's military and the forced mobilisation (military training) of teenagers in Ukraine. Russia argued that the children and women were evacuated and not "deported" from the war-inflicted regions as if it had not been carried out, "children and civilians would have been in mortal danger".

'Warrant against Putin has no meaning': Russian MFA

Such a biased and one-sided decision of the International Criminal Court has "no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view", said Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova in a statement issued by Russian MFA. "Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and does not bear any obligations under it. Russia does not cooperate with this body, and possible "recipes" for arrest coming from the International Court will be legally null and void for us," the diplomat asserted. 

Commenting on the ICC arrest warrant for Russian President Putin, Russia's Deputy Premier Dmitry Medvedev said that such a ruling has no relevance and that there was "no need to explain where this paper [International Criminal Court's arrest warrant] should be used.” Russian Federation "does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and considers its decisions null and void," said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman. "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," Peskov stressed. 

UN Chief ready to talk with Putin: UN spokesperson

A spokesperson for the United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric said, that the UN Secretary-General is "ready to speak with Putin after ICC’s ruling." "As we've said many times before, here, the International Criminal Court is independent of the secretariat. We do not comment on their actions," said Dujarric. The latter reiterated that the United Nations Secretary-General Guterres is ready to discuss the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrants for the arrest. When asked how the ICC’s ruling may impact Putin’s possible visits to the United Nations offices both in Geneva and in New York, the spokesman said, "I can only speak for the UN secretary-general. 

"UN Secretary-General will speak to whomever he needs to speak with in order to deal with the issues in front of him," said Guterres' spokesperson, offering talks with Putin.