When Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Alaska next week to meet President Donald Trump, he will be able to do so with confidence that he will not be arrested.
This is because while Putin is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023, neither Russia nor the US were signatories of Roman law, they established the court in 2002.
The ICC accused Russian leaders of the occupied territory of Ukraine from the occupied territory to Russia (are said to be liable for war crimes of illegal deportation of children.” The Kremlin has named the court’s actions “outrageous and unacceptable.”
Putin has been paying attention to his travel itinerary since the warrant was issued. In 2023, he refused an invitation to the South African summit. But a year later, he made a path to China and North Korea, neither of which were registered in the courts.
The ICC relies on its members to arrest the suspect and hand it over to the Hague, where it is based.
In 2023, Putin traveled to Mongolia, the signator. Mongolia argued that under Article 98 of the Roman Act, the states “cannot act consistently with their obligations under international law regarding diplomatic immunity.”
As Russian head of state, the Mongols argued that Putin enjoyed absolute immunity from the ICC proceedings unless Russia renounced it.
The court rejected the allegations and said another article would remove all immunities. The judge said Member States are “obligated to arrest and waive any individuals eligible for ICC warrants, regardless of their official position or nationality.”
Not only was the United States not a signatory to Roman law, but in February, Trump ordered sanctions against the court after issuing arrest warrants to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister.
The executive order accused the ICC of engaging in “illegal and unfounded actions targeting the US and our close ally, Israel.”
