02:15Japan: 'No one is above the law' - Scholz on ICC arrest warrant for Putin at meeting with PM Kishida
"No one is above the law," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Saturday, as he commented on the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin by International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kishida, Scholz added that it is "a very important principle of international law and indeed it is also the case that we all know that the International Criminal Court is an important institution that has also been given its mandate by international treaties."
The chancellor went on to comment on economic security, saying "The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the Corona pandemic before, made us painfully aware of the difficulties that can arise when there are too strong economic dependencies in critical areas. We have to react to this."
On Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian president Vladimir Putin for the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia during the war in Ukraine. Another arrest warrant was issued against the Russian president's children's rights commissioner, Maria Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova.
The report notes that Putin and Lvova-Belova are allegedly responsible for 'war crimes related to the illegal deportation of the population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the territory of the Russian Federation.'
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov commented that the ICC's decision 'outrageous and unacceptable,' while Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the ICC's warrant for the Russian president 'null and void' due to Russia not being a party of the Rome statute.
The children's ombudsman, Lvova-Belova, commenting on the ICC warrant for her arrest, said it was 'great that the international community has appreciated the work to help our country's children'.
In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the ICC decision 'historic' and added that the head of the 'terrorist state' and the functionary had 'officially become suspects in a war crime'.
02:15"No one is above the law," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Saturday, as he commented on the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin by International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kishida, Scholz added that it is "a very important principle of international law and indeed it is also the case that we all know that the International Criminal Court is an important institution that has also been given its mandate by international treaties."
The chancellor went on to comment on economic security, saying "The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the Corona pandemic before, made us painfully aware of the difficulties that can arise when there are too strong economic dependencies in critical areas. We have to react to this."
On Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian president Vladimir Putin for the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia during the war in Ukraine. Another arrest warrant was issued against the Russian president's children's rights commissioner, Maria Alexeyevna Lvova-Belova.
The report notes that Putin and Lvova-Belova are allegedly responsible for 'war crimes related to the illegal deportation of the population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the territory of the Russian Federation.'
Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov commented that the ICC's decision 'outrageous and unacceptable,' while Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the ICC's warrant for the Russian president 'null and void' due to Russia not being a party of the Rome statute.
The children's ombudsman, Lvova-Belova, commenting on the ICC warrant for her arrest, said it was 'great that the international community has appreciated the work to help our country's children'.
In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the ICC decision 'historic' and added that the head of the 'terrorist state' and the functionary had 'officially become suspects in a war crime'.