President Joe Biden said Friday that the International Criminal Court’s verdict against Russian President Vladimir Putin was “fair.”
The ICC on Friday issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, accusing them of war crimes and the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia. This move means that if Putin sets foot in any court 123 Member States, the State is bound to arrest him. The United States is not a member state that recognizes the ICC.
“I think it’s justified,” Biden said, referring to the warrant Reuters And the mountain The warrant was not authorized by the United States, but Putin added that Putin had “clearly committed war crimes.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military officials said Saturday morning that Russian forces carried out 34 airstrikes, one missile attack and 57 rounds of anti-aircraft strikes in 24 hours.
- Falling debris in South Kherson damaged seven houses and a kindergarten on Friday night.
- Shelling hit 11 towns and villages in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province on Friday, killing one person and wounding three others, the province’s regional governor, Pavlo Kirilenko, said.
- Russian rockets hit a residential area in the southeastern city of Zaporizhia on Friday night, damaging homes and destroying a catering business. No casualties were reported.
- Ukrainian air force officials said they shot down 11 of 16 Russian drones on Friday night amid attacks in the central, western and eastern parts of the country.
Developments:
- A grain deal to curb rising international food prices was extended on Saturday. According to Turkish state media. The United Nations humanitarian chief called for an extension on Friday as the deal nears expiration. Russia’s UN ambassador said Moscow would extend the deal but only for 60 days. The deal allows Ukraine, one of the world’s main breadbaskets, to export grain from its three Black Sea ports.
- Head of Russia’s Wagner Private Military Group It was announced on Telegram on Saturday It plans to recruit around 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.
- British and German fighter jets on Friday intercepted a Russian plane flying near Estonian airspace. The Royal Air Force of England said. This is the second time a Russian plane has been intercepted off the Estonian coast.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Russia
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow next week to meet Putin in a show of support for the Russian president. Ji’s visit is expected to last from Monday to Wednesday.
China has previously refused to condemn Russia for its war in Ukraine, but has condemned Western sanctions on the country and accused NATO and the United States of provoking Putin.
The Biden administration has warned against China pushing for a unilateral peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine marks nine years since the annexation of Crimea
On Saturday, Ukraine marked the ninth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, pledging to return all Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow.
“For nine consecutive years, the Crimean Peninsula has suffered under the criminal regime of the Kremlin, which has become a military outpost, a zone of non-freedom and persecution, aggression and terrorism for all who find the courage to resist and defend their democratic rights and values,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. According to CNN.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, which was condemned by much of the world as illegal.
“Our duty is to bring freedom back to the peninsula,” said Ukraine’s first deputy minister of foreign affairs, Emin Dzhepar. In a Twitter statement.
International leaders including the UK Finland And Sweden, and rejected the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine and reaffirmed support for the country. Meanwhile, Putin visited Crimea on Saturday to mark the anniversary.
Contributed by: Associated Press
Contact Christine Fernando [email protected] Or follow her on Twitter @christinetfern.
