Russian Ambassador to Germany Expresses Concern over Justice Minister’s Statements on Putin’s Arrest

Statements by German officials about their readiness to comply with the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) cause concern and show a desire to escalate the conflict with Russia, said Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechaev. His comment published in the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

“The irresponsible statements of some German officials about their support and readiness to comply with the illegitimate and completely absurd decision of the International Criminal Court cause extreme concern and indicate how far from reality they are in their desire to further escalate the conflict with Russia,” the ambassador said.

The criminal court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on March 17. As Die Zeit wrote, this decision obliges the member states of the court, including Germany, to arrest the wanted persons and transfer them to The Hague. German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann promised arrest the Russian president in case of his visit to Germany.

“I expect the ICC to quickly contact Interpol and contracting states and request enforcement. Germany is then obliged to arrest President Putin if he enters German territory and hand him over to the ICC,” Buschmann told Bild am Sonntag (quoted by Die Zeit).

Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) Alexander Bastrykin has already instructed give a legal assessment of the statements of the Minister of Justice of Germany. The press service of the TFR explained that the corresponding instruction was given to the central office of the department.

The International Criminal Court is the court of last resort for serious international crimes. It was established under the Rome Statute signed in 1998. Russia has signed but not ratified it.

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov previously noted that the decisions of the ICC have no legal force and are void. This was also stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova: according to her, the decisions of the ICC have no meaning for Moscow, and possible arrest warrants are legally void.