Vladimir Putin in Russian-occupied Mariupol in southern Ukraine, March 19, 2023


I joined the Pat Kenny Show on Dublin Newstalk on Monday to analyze the significance of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin.

I explain the context for the warrant — the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia — and its potential legal and political impact.

We then consider Putin’s latest maneuvers, from his first visit to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion to his three-day meeting this week with China’s Xi Jinping in Moscow.

Listen to Discussion from 1:43.35

There may be a limited practical effect of this arrest warrant, but it has a symbolic importance about war crimes.

As the ICC lead judge said, they are making this public to try and prevent the crimes happening in future and to set a marker that this is not acceptable under any norm of decency and international law.

See also EA on India’s WION News: China’s Xi to Visit Putin in Moscow

Ukraine War, Day 387: ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin