The ICC accused Vladimir Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. The Kremlin called the court's actions"scandalous and unacceptable".

Namely, neither Russia nor the USA are signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the court in 2002.

Putin visited Mongolia two years ago

Putin has been cautious about his travels since the warrant was issued. In 2023, for example, he refused an invitation to a summit in South Africa. However, in the same year he traveled to Mongolia, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute.

Mongolia then argued that, according to Article 98 of the Rome Statute, a state cannot"act contrary to its obligations under international law regarding (...) diplomatic immunity of a person". Mongolian authorities have stated that Putin, as the Russian leader, enjoys absolute immunity, unless Russia waives that immunity.

The court rejected that claim, stating that Article 2 waives all immunities. The panel of judges pointed out that the member states"are obliged to arrest and hand over the persons to whom the orders of the ICC refer, regardless of their official position or nationality".

The ICC relies on member states to arrest and extradite suspects to The Hague, where it is headquartered. In 2024, Putin visited China and North Korea, two countries that have not signed the treaty with the ICC.

In February, Trump ordered sanctions against the ICC

Not only has the United States never been a signatory to the Rome Statute, but in February Trump ordered sanctions against the court after issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

In an executive order, he accused the ICC of participating in"illegitimate and baseless actions directed against America and our close ally Israel."

The Americans will probably have to lift the sanctions on Putin to enter the US

Although there is no threat of arrest, the US Treasury Department will likely have to lift sanctions on Putin in order for him to enter the US, as it did when Putin's envoy Kiril Dmitriyev arrived in Washington in April.

Some believe that this is precisely one of the reasons why Putin agreed to the summit in Alaska. Instead of introducing new sanctions on Russia, as Trump threatened in the previous days, the US will lift one. Even if it was only temporary, it would be an extremely symbolic and great victory.

Trump and Putin will meet to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting will take place in the atmosphere of Trump's announcement that he will introduce new sanctions against Moscow, as well as against countries that buy goods from its exports, unless the Russian leader agrees to end the three-and-a-half-year-long conflict with Ukraine.

(Index, Sky News)