CNN
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President Joe Biden on Friday mentioned the Worldwide Prison Courtroom’s case towards Russian President Vladimir Putin “makes a really robust level,” as he voiced assist for the investigation into Putin’s alleged conflict crimes.
“I feel it’s justified,” Biden mentioned, “however the query is, it’s not acknowledged internationally by us, both. However I feel it makes a really robust level.”
Biden later instructed reporters that Putin had “clearly dedicated conflict crimes.”
Neither the US nor Russia are members of the ICC, which on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian youngsters to Russia.
The courtroom mentioned there “are cheap grounds to imagine that Mr Putin bears particular person legal duty” for the alleged crimes, for having dedicated them straight alongside others, and for “his failure to train management correctly over civilian and army subordinates who dedicated the acts.” The ICC fees, which relate to an alleged follow reported on by CNN and others, are the primary to be formally lodged towards officers in Moscow since its conflict on Ukraine started final 12 months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the ICC for its “historic” choice, however the Kremlin mentioned it considers “the very posing of the query outrageous and unacceptable.”
The White Home in an announcement earlier Friday welcomed “accountability for perpetrators of conflict crimes,” however stopped in need of a full-throated endorsement of the ICC’s arrest warrant.
“There isn’t any doubt that Russia is committing conflict crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, and we’ve got been clear that these accountable have to be held accountable. The ICC Prosecutor is an unbiased actor and makes his personal prosecutorial choices primarily based on the proof earlier than him. We assist accountability for perpetrators of conflict crimes,” Nationwide Safety Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson mentioned.
Notably, Watson’s assertion earlier Friday didn’t explicitly categorical assist for the ICC’s efforts to prosecute Putin for conflict crimes.
A State Division spokesperson instructed CNN that “we assist accountability for perpetrators of conflict crimes.”