Judges from the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued on Friday its first arrest warrants related to the war in Ukraine, for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights. The judges alleged that the two are responsible for the war crimes of “illegal deportation” and “illegal transfer” of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
The move is largely symbolic: Moscow does not accept the jurisdiction of the ICC, and international law experts say it’s unlikely, barring a major political change in Russia, for Putin to end up in front of the court.
Turkey is set to start the process to ratify Finland’s accession to NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday at a news conference in Ankara, making the announcement after talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Finland requires unanimous approval by Turkey and all other NATO members to join the alliance. Along with Sweden, it announced its intention to join following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Erdogan is still expected to withhold approval of Sweden’s bid, and Sweden’s prime minister has said it is increasingly likely that Finland would join NATO first. In a statement, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan praised Turkey’s move and called on Ankara to ratify Sweden’s accession protocols as well.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
ICC issues arrest warrants
But collisions during intercepts are rare, even when involving drones. Analysts and officials warn that the war in Ukraine has only heightened the stakes, and the incident has fueled concern about the potential for the war in Ukraine to escalate into direct conflict between the two superpowers.
Alex Horton and Missy Ryan contributed to this report.
#Ukraine #live #briefing #Turkey #backs #Finlands #NATO #bid #ICC #issues #arrest #warrant #Putin
You must log in to post a comment.