Putin 'Clearly Committed War Crimes' — Biden Tells TURAN's Correspondent

Washington D.C./18.03.23/Turan:   U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes and the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for him was 'justified', TURAN's Washington correspondent reports from the White House.

Earlier on Friday, the ICC called for Putin's arrest on suspicion of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow's invasion.

“I think it’s justified,” Biden told the White House pool.

The U.S. leader acknowledged the court's authority is not recognized by Russia or the US, "but I think it makes a very strong point," he said.

Asked by TURAN's Washington correspondent whether Putin should be tried for war crimes, Biden said: "He (Putin) clearly committed war crimes.”

Earlier on Friday the White House welcomed accountability for perpetrators of war crimes, but stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of the ICC’s arrest warrant when it issued an initial statement.

The ICC's warrant is believed to be one of the first charges against Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, part of a global effort to hold the Russian president and Russia accountable for atrocities beginning with the full-scale February 2022 invasion.

The warrant cites Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, commissioner for children’s rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territory to Russia.

Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, a State Department spokesperson said: "There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities (in) Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable."

Alex Raufoglu