Borrell: Putin's arrest warrant is only the beginning of bringing all those responsible to justice

The International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is only the beginning of the process of "bringing to justice" those potentially responsible for war crimes in Ukraine, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.

He noted that the case concerns the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

"The gravity of the crime and the statement of the ICC speak for themselves. This is an important decision for international justice and for the people of Ukraine. We have always clearly stated in the European Union that those responsible for the illegal aggression against Ukraine must be brought to justice," he said.

In his turn, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the International Criminal Court in The Hague had made "a historic decision that will start a historic responsibility."

"It would have been impossible to carry out such a criminal operation without the order of the highest leader of the terrorist state. Separating children from their families, depriving them of any opportunity to contact their relatives, burying children on Russian territory, dispersing them to remote regions – all this is clearly Russian state policy, state decisions, state evil. Which begins with the first official of this state," he said.

Background. As a reminder, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan explained the decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin.