- Dmitry Medvedev warns that pushing through with the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin is a "declaration of war" against Russia
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) previously issued a warrant against Putin and another Russian official over alleged war crimes in Ukraine
- The charges are based on the abduction of several thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia
The deputy chairman for Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, warned that pushing through with the arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin would be tantamount to a "declaration of war" against Moscow.
The top Russian official posted on Telegram a message that called out the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Russian strongman over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev Warns of Potential War
Medvedev said that the ICC's move added to a "colossal negative potential" in the already strained relationship between Russia and the West. On Friday, the ICC issued a warrant against the Russian president and another official for war crimes since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began.
The charges against Putin and the official were issued based on their alleged involvement in abducting several thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia. In a Telegram post, The 57-year-old Medvedev noted that Russia's relations with the West are already worse than ever before, as per The Hill.
The Russian official served as the president of his country from 2008 to 2012 and called out Germany's Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. In response, the German official said that Putin would be arrested on the ICC's warrant if he traveled to Germany.
In a statement, Medvedev said that if a situation where Putin's arrest was made into a reality, it would be a declaration of war against the Russian Federation. He added that if that time comes, all of Moscow's assets, including missiles, would immediately fly out to the Bundestag and the Chancellor's office.
The ICC's Arrest Warrant for Vladimir Putin
Medvedev's statements come after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart earlier this week. Western leaders considered the visit as Beijing doubling its support for Russia amid its war against Ukraine.
On the other hand, on Thursday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said that if Putin were to visit their country, he would not be arrested under the ICC's warrant. According to CNN, this is because while Hungary is a signatory to the Rome Statute, there would be no basis in Hungarian law to arrest the Russian president.
Gulyas added that the Hungarian government has not yet decided on its stance on the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin. The remarks are considered a surprise for many of the country's European neighbors.
The situation also comes as Russia opened a criminal investigation into ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and several international court judges, arguing that the decision to issue an arrest warrant was "unlawful." In response to the probe, the ICC said that its legislative body regretted "threats" against the tribunal over the warrant, said Alarabiya News.
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