Former Austrian Foreign Minister Kneisl: Putin’s arrest warrant was issued under pressure from Washington

In an interview with the Chancellor’s Daddy Telegram channel, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said that the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was under pressure from the United States and European Union countries. She expressed the opinion that such pressure indicates the politicization of the ICC.

Kneissl also noted that the ICC has never brought cases against Western politicians who committed war crimes, only against African politicians. She added that Ukraine does not recognize the ICC, but is trying to attract Russian citizens under Ukrainian law.

In addition, Kneissl stressed that the International Criminal Court was created on the initiative of Russia more than 120 years ago, but today it is used against Russia and its politicians. She said that the arrest warrant for President Putin would not have any effect on him, since most of the member states of the UN Security Council have not ratified this agreement.

Kneissl also noted that the time will come when all military developments since 2014 will need to be reviewed.

On March 17, the Pre-trial Chamber of the ICC issued a warrant for the “arrest” of Putin and children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, but Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and considers any of its decisions null and void from the point of view of law. Press Secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov also called the question of “arresting” the President of the Russian Federation unacceptable. The head of the Constitutional Committee of the Federation Council Andrei Klishas said that the ICC warrant has no legal grounds and consequences, and after this decision, the ICC embarked on the path of self-liquidation.