US President speaks out about International Criminal Court in case of request to arrest Russian President

US President Biden told reporters on March 17, 2023. Photo: AP

On March 17, US President Biden admitted that Washington does not recognize the International Criminal Court (ICC) but agrees with the court's statements that Russian President Putin "committed war crimes" in Ukraine.

Speaking to the White House press corps on March 17, he said the International Criminal Court makes sense, but he also pointed out that "the problem is, we don't recognize it internationally."

Asked by another reporter, Mr Biden replied that Mr Putin “clearly committed war crimes”.

Earlier the same day, the International Criminal Court accused President Putin of "illegally moving people".

RT (Russia) said that the ICC's statement seemed to be based on the Ukrainian government's explanation of Russia's efforts to evacuate children from war zones where the Ukrainian army was fighting, using weapons provided by NATO.

The Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry have dismissed the International Criminal Court's statement as nonsense. They also assert that Russia is not a party to the ICC's Rome Statute, and that the court has no jurisdiction in Russia.

Other Russian officials said the ICC had destroyed itself and shown how "worthless and meaningless" Western-backed institutions had become.

Former Russian President - current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Medvedev even compared the ICC warrant to "toilet paper".

The ICC was modeled on US-backed courts in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but the US withdrew from the court in 2002. The US also passed a law authorising the use of “all necessary and appropriate means”, including force, to release any American or citizen of an allied country if they are detained by the ICC.

About 45 countries do not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, including China, India, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey./.