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Russian president’s arrest overseas would mean declaration of war, Medvedev warns

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman emphasized that the ICC’s decision could have a huge negative impact on Moscow’s relations with the West

MOSCOW, March 23 /TASS/. The Russian president’s arrest overseas based on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant would be a casus belli, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

"Just imagine - clearly that such a situation is never going to happen but still - let’s imagine that it has happened. The incumbent head of a nuclear country arrives in, say, Germany and is arrested. What does it mean? A declaration of war against Russia. In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] chancellor’s office and so on," Medvedev noted, responding to questions from Russian media outlets, including TASS, and users of the VKontakte social media network.

When commenting on German Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann’s remark that Berlin would have to implement the ICC decision and arrest the Russian president if he arrived in Germany, Medvedev said: "Does he even realize that it would be a casus belli, a declaration of war? Or was he a bad law student?"

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman emphasized that the ICC’s decision could have a huge negative impact on Moscow’s relations with the West. "Our relations with the Western world are already poor; they are perhaps at their worst ever. Even when Churchill delivered his Iron Curtain speech, our relationship was better. And all of a sudden, they make such a move against our head of state," Medvedev noted.

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