What’s the ICC that issued Putin’s arrest warrant and what consequences does he face?

International Criminal Court (ICC). An arrest warrant was issued. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, he may never face trial for his alleged crimes, according to materials released by the court.

“This is probably the most high-profile action ever taken by the International Criminal Court,” Steven Groves, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation who focuses on international law, told Fox News Digital.

“[The court] Heads of state have been indicted before this as well Like with al-BashirBut this is Sudan. This is Russia,” Groves stressed. “The reality of the situation is that Putin will never bring himself and Russia will never bring Putin.”

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday, along with a warrant for Maria Alekseevna Lyova Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.

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The court stated that it had reasonable grounds to believe that each suspected war crime was responsible for the illegal deportation of the population and the illegal transfer of the population from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, with prejudice against Ukrainian children. is on

Watchdog groups hailed the warrant as a powerful statement, but the ICC’s own material notes that it has only judicial powers and relies on member states to respond to requests to extradite suspects. comply

A booklet on “ICC is arresting the suspects.” notes that 15 people are at large with outstanding arrest warrants, and the court has seen at least four arrest warrants expire since the suspect died before authorities could catch them.

The ICC operates largely under the authority of the 1998 Rome Statute, which is not accepted or recognized by all countries, including the United States, Russia and China. Many other states – around 123 in total – including members of the G20 and G8 are member states, and this is where Putin can feel the most influence.

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“The real rubber meets the road when Putin travels, because when Putin travels to another country that is a party to the Rome Statute, it’s important for that party to comply with the treaty,” Groves said. There is a legal obligation,” Groves said.

“It doesn’t matter whether Russia travels to, let’s say, China or any other country that is not a member of the ICC,” he explained. “But we say there is one. G-20 meeting In Japan, for example, or in any other country that is a party to this treaty and takes its obligations seriously … they would be obliged under the terms of the treaty to assist in the arrest of any person whom the individual charged with an offense and subject to a warrant of arrest”

Groves noted that his main takeaway from the ICC’s arrest warrant is that it would likely limit Putin’s involvement in G20 and G8 proceedings and similar international bodies. Countries like Japan, Canada and Turkey are member countries of this law.

But the warrant comes with the risk that it could show the ICC lacks authority or power and relies too heavily on agreements or obligations of other countries to hold Putin.

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Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, rejected the arrest warrant, saying that the decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view.

Groves suggested that Interpol might need to issue a red letter notice to help bring Putin to justice, but the group has not yet announced any intention to issue a warrant and has yet to issue a warrant. Fox News Digital did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. of publication.

And ultimately the power to impose any additional sanctions against Russia rests with individual nations or the UN Security Council – the latter likely to be ineffective as Russia has veto power as a permanent member of the council. Groves noted.

“The most important thing for me is that if the international community wants real accountability for war crimes, they must ensure that Ukraine has the capacity to host war crimes trials on its own soil and that the Russian military has more can get more members than They could face capture on the battlefield and trial for war crimes,” Groves said.

Advocacy group Human Rights Watch praised the announcement, saying it sent a “clear message” and “a wake-up call to others” that “they will have their day in court, regardless of their rank or position.” ”

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“This is a big day for many victims. Crimes of Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014,” Bilkiz Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. He has taken his first step. which has long encouraged the perpetrators of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”