Application of US sanctions against The Hague Court is curious, says Russia

The Kremlin said on Tuesday (21) that it was very curious that the United States appeared ready to use sanctions against the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

US President Joe Biden called the legal step “outrageous”, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it could jeopardize negotiations on a hostage agreement and ceasefire.

Some US lawmakers have called for the United States to impose sanctions on the court. In 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on an ICC prosecutor.

“In general, the situation is more than curious in terms of the US attitude and willingness to use sanctions methods even against the ICC,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

In March last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin for war crimes.

Russia says the warrant against Putin is a senseless attempt by the West to tarnish Russia's reputation and deny war crimes in Ukraine. Ukraine says Russia committed war crimes. Russia says the West ignored Ukraine's crimes, a charge Kiev denies.

Biden said last year that the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin was justified. The United States has shared details of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the ICC.

Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, so Moscow does not recognize the court's jurisdiction.

“We are not parties to the relevant statute, therefore we do not recognize the jurisdiction of the court,” Peskov said.