The Russian president is in Kyrgyzstan, where he had bilateral engagements; was scheduled to attend an event in China next week
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan this Thursday (October 12, 2023). This is the Russian leader’s first international trip since the ICC (International Criminal Court) issued an arrest warrant against him in March for an alleged war crime in the conflict with Ukraine.
In the country, Putin had a bilateral meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the official residence of AlaArcha. The two also attended the 20th anniversary of the Russian military air base in Kant, northern Kyrgyzstan. The information comes from the Russian news agency Tass.
Putin said Russia would continue to supply Kyrgyzstan with modern weapons. “For my part, I would like to assure that the Russian leadership will continue to pay close attention to the issues of supplying the air base with advanced types of weapons, technology and modern equipment,” he said. The information comes from Sputnik.
According to the President of Kyrgyzstan, the two countries have signed a law agreeing with Russia to build a joint air defense system. The Russian leader also announced that the country would deliver 1.2 million tons of fuel to Kyrgyzstan by the end of 2023.
On Friday (October 13), Putin will attend the annual summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Russian president is then expected to go to the Belt and Road Initiative international forum. The event will take place October 1718 in Beijing, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping will also be present.
Arrest warrant against Putin
In March, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Putin and Maria Alekseyevna LvovaBelova, Children’s Rights Commissioner in the Russian Presidential Office, for alleged war crimes of illegal deportation of children and illegal transfers of children from occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.
According to the organization, the crimes have been committed since the beginning of the conflict, on February 24, 2022. “There are reasonable reasons to believe this.” [Putin e LvovaBelova] “We committed the acts directly, together with others and/or through others,” the court explained.
Putin is also accused of “not exercising sufficient control over the civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts” and of allowing commissions or subordinates to be persuaded to assume greater responsibility.
The arrest warrants remain confidential in order to protect victims and witnesses and not to jeopardize the investigation. The ICC’s decision is based on the Rome Statute, which has been in force since 1998 and has been signed by 123 countries, including Brazil. Here you can find the complete document in English (PDF 385 KB).
Because of the risk of arrest, Putin refrained from attending international meetings this year. In July, South Africa confirmed that the Russian president would not attend the BRICS summit because of the risk of arrest by the International Criminal Court. It was the first time he did not attend the meeting of the group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In an interview with Indian broadcaster Firstpost in September, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said that Putin would not be arrested if he came to Brazil to attend the next G20 summit, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. Brazil could be punished for the decision by the International Criminal Court or the United Nations.
According to the president, other nations would not disrespect Brazil. “We want to treat people well. So I think Putin can safely go to Brazil […] I can tell you that I am the President of Brazil. “If he comes to Brazil, there is no reason to arrest him,” he said.
CORRECTION
Oct 12, 2023 (19:51) Contrary to what was published in this article, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not convicted by the International Criminal Court, but only an arrest warrant was issued for an alleged war crime in the conflict with Ukraine. The above text has been corrected and updated.