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ICC warrant shows that West is not afraid of escalation in Ukraine, says Serbian president

It is reported that the West is seeking to exert extra pressure on all those who have not been against Russia until today

BELGRADE, March 17. /TASS/. The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrates that the West is not afraid of possible escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday.

"By this (the ICC’s warrant for Putin’s arrest - TASS), the West has demonstrated that it will stop at nothing and cares little about possible escalation of the conflict [in Ukraine]. <…> It means that the West is seeking to exert extra pressure on all those who have not been against Russia until today," he said, adding that this way the West "is sending a signal" to all countries that want to cooperate with Russia and its president that "it would entail serious consequences."

The International Criminal Court on Friday issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s eights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova, saying that they could be responsible "for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

The International Criminal Court was established by the Rome Statute in 1998. It is not part of the United Nations and is accountable to the countries that have ratified the statute. The countries that aren’t parties to the statute include Russia (signed, did not ratify), the US (signed, then revoked the signature), and China (did not sign). Putin signed an executive order in 2016 stating that Russia wouldn’t be a member of the ICC. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the court didn’t live up to expectations and failed to become a truly independent organization for international justice.

Military operation in Ukraine

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