Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Alaska next week to meet with President Donald Trump, the White House confirmed on Tuesday. Putin will be able to do so with the confidence that he will not be arrested, even if an international warrant is issued for his arrest.

What is the explanation? Although the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an international arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, it cannot be enforced if he arrives in Alaska. Neither Russia nor the United States are signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the Court in 2002, and therefore Putin cannot be arrested, writes CNN.

A country signatory to the Statute has not implemented the mandate

Countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute “have an obligation to arrest and surrender persons subject to ICC warrants, regardless of their official function or nationality.” However, Mongolia, which is a signatory member, did not implement the arrest warrant in Putin’s case when he landed in the country in 2023.

Since the ICC issued the international arrest warrant for Putin, he has been cautious with his travel itineraries.

Another leader for whom the ICC has issued an arrest warrant is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin, who"is suspected of being responsible for war crimes, through the illegal deportation of the population (children) and the illegal transfer of the population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."