By Anthony Deutsch
THE HAGUE - Ukraine's top prosecutor said he had received intelligence indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil next month, and called on authorities there to carry out a warrant for his arrest if he showed up.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued a warrant for Putin in March 2023, roughly a year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, accusing him of the war crime of deporting children.
Russia denies allegations of war crimes and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant as "null and void".
When asked if a decision had been made on whether Putin would attend the meeting of the world's 20 leading economies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday: "No. When a decision is made, we will let you know."
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told Reuters in an interview that "it's important for the international community to stand united and hold Putin accountable."
Due to "information that Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil I would like to reiterate that it's an obligation for the Brazilian authorities as a state party of the Rome Statute to arrest him if he dares to visit," Kostin said, referring to the treaty that established the ICC.
"I truly hope that Brazil will arrest him, reaffirming its status as a democracy and a state governed by the rule of law," he said.
A failure to do so risks setting a precedent under which leaders accused of crimes can travel with impunity, he said.
Brazil sent Putin a standard invitation for the Nov. 18-19 meetings in Rio de Janeiro of the G20 group but has received no indication he planned to attend, according to two Brazilian government officials.
The ICC's office of the prosecutor declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the court reiterated that it relies on state parties and other partners to execute its decisions, including arrest warrants. Member states "have the obligation to cooperate in accordance with" the court’s founding treaty, spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah.
Among six Russian officials subject to ICC warrants are commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, former defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Viktor Sokolov and Sergey Kobylash, who are accused of directing attacks against civilian sites.
Despite his ICC warrant, Putin in September went on an official state visit to Mongolia, whose failure to arrest him was criticised by Ukraine as a blow to international justice.
Last year, however, Putin stayed away from a meeting of BRICS nations in South Africa and attended online.
The ICC, with 124 member states, was established in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.