MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Russia needs to receive assurances from Armenia in connection with its accession to the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the issue to be resolved through dialogue between the countries, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

In response to a TASS question about the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Armenia, the spokesman said: "We have already said that, of course, the new reality due to Armenia's accession to this international statute cannot but have a negative impact on our bilateral relations. Of course, it is very important here to receive certain assurances from our Armenian partners, this issue is still to be resolved within the framework of bilateral dialogue, which is what we are determined to do."

Earlier, Pashinyan said that he does not decide who to arrest, including Putin, in connection with his ICC warrant.

On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children.

On March 20, Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan and judges Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez and Tomoko Akane for taking knowingly illegal action, as there were no grounds for bringing the Russian president and children's ombudsman to criminal responsibility. In May, charges were brought against Karim Khan and Rosario Aitala. Both were put on the wanted list.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Armenia ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC only for political reasons.