Putin's arrest warrant will start "great backstage diplomatic battle" – Ukraine’s Foreign Minister

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba shared his opinion during a conversation with journalist Vadym Karpiak.

"Now a great backstage diplomatic battle for respect for the Rome Statute will begin. The issue here is not even about Putin or Ukraine, but about the fact that if the ICC warrant is openly despised, it will destroy the International Criminal Court," Kuleba said.

Therefore, according to the minister, the International Criminal Court itself is interested in complying with its acts. In addition, all countries that support the ICC will join this battle to enforce the warrant.

"It is clear that South Africa will not refuse Putin's visit because he is their ally. But I don't think that South Africa will be able to ignore it openly and defiantly... It is better to fight against attempts not to execute the warrant than to fight for such a warrant to be issued," Kuleba said.

• On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.

• According to media reports, the Kremlin was unprepared for the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and does not understand how to protect him during his travels abroad.

• On March 23, ICC expressed regret over the threats against the institution due to the arrest warrant for Putin.