Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to make his first foreign visit to China in October since a warrant for his arrest for alleged war crimes (in Ukraine) was issued by the International Criminal Court.
A Bloomberg report stated Putin is set to set foot in China for the Belt and Road forum later this year. Bloomberg quoted a source on the condition of anonymity who said that the Kremlin has been preparing for Putin’s visit to China after the Russian President accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the conclave.
Putin has not crossed the Russian international borders since the court in The Hague announced the warrant, besides his visit to war-stricken Ukraine. In August, Putin also skipped the BRICS summit in South Africa after the local government in Copenhagen stated it would comply with the ICC order to arrest him as a signatory to the international court. Putin has also excused himself from the upcoming G20 summit in New Delhi in September, although India is not a signatory to the ICC.
Since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, Putin has travelled only to neighbouring former Soviet Union countries and Iran. Putin marked his presence in China in February 2022, prior to launching military offensives in Kyiv.
Xi Jinping, on the other hand, visited Moscow in March this year, his first foreign trip since assuming a record third term as Chinese President.
The source also told Bloomberg that Putin is only willing to visit countries where his safety is completely guaranteed, and China is one of those places.
ARREST WARRANT FOR PUTIN
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants of arrest for Putin ” in the context of the situation in Ukraine”. The international tribunal seated in The Hague said that Putin bore responsibility for “the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine”.
“The President of the Russian Federation is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of the population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian-occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022,” the ICC stated.