FILE – This mix of photographs exhibits Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, in Moscow on Might 9, 2025, and President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 1. The 2 are in talks to satisfy to debate the Russia-Ukraine struggle. (AP Picture/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool. Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP
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Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool. Mark Schiefelbein/AP/AP
President Trump stated his assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to debate an finish to the struggle in Ukraine is ready to occur “very shortly” at a date and placement that Trump stated he would announce “a little bit later” on Friday.
When — and, most critically, the place — these talks might occur continues to be unclear. However discovering impartial territory for these negotiations could also be difficult as Putin faces the specter of arrest from the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC).
In 2023, the ICC within the Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin on struggle crime fees. This now limits the choices for the place Trump and Putin can meet because the Russian president faces doable arrest in any of the greater than 120 ICC member nations.
A common view of the outside of the Worldwide Prison Court docket in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025.
Omar Havana/AP/AP
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Omar Havana/AP/AP
What’s the ICC and why can it challenge arrest warrants?
In response to the necessity for a everlasting worldwide courtroom addressing crimes dedicated throughout struggle, the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC), which relies in The Hague, Netherlands, formally started working in July 2002.
Since 1999, 125 nations have signed onto the Rome Statute, establishing the worldwide courtroom. Neither the U.S. or Russia are member states. Ukraine grew to become a member in 2024.
The ICC has authority to pursue prison fees, however solely on essentially the most critical crimes: genocide, crimes in opposition to humanity, struggle crimes and the crime of aggression.
The courtroom would not have its personal police pressure or enforcement physique, so it depends on nations’ cooperation to make arrests, switch arrested folks to ICC detention in The Hague and to implement sentences.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin two years in the past over alleged struggle crimes tied to allegations Russia has forcibly kidnapped Ukrainian kids to Russia. The ICC additionally issued a warrant on the time for Putin’s commissioner for youngsters’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
Russian officers have not denied the arrival of Ukrainian kids within the nation, however have characterised their arrival as a part of a humanitarian program for deserted, war-traumatized orphans.
Putin is not the one sitting head of state to face such critical fees from the ICC. Final November, the worldwide courtroom issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged struggle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity within the Gaza Strip. The courtroom additionally issued warrants for Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former protection minister, Muhammad Deif, Hamas’ army chief whom Israel says it killed in August, in addition to different Hamas officers.
Israel contested the allegations in opposition to Netanyahu and Gallant.
‘Russians do not care in regards to the ICC’
Critics and authorities leaders have repeatedly questioned the ability and authority of the ICC.
“Russians don’t care about the ICC,” stated Nina Khrushcheva, a world affairs professor for The New College in New York, particularly due to the notion that the U.S. has been hypocritical in terms of the courtroom.
When the ICC filed arrest warrants in opposition to Netanyahu, then-President Joe Biden launched a press release that stated, “The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
However when the ICC issued a warrant in opposition to Putin, the response from the U.S. was extra supportive of the worldwide physique. On the time, White Home Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson informed NPR, “There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable. The ICC prosecutor is an independent actor and makes his own prosecutorial decisions based on the evidence before him. We support accountability for perpetrators of war crimes.”
Khrushcheva stated, “So for Putin, it’s yet another confirmation for him that the West is fairly hypocritical, and so he doesn’t pay attention to it.”
Again in September, Putin traveled to Mongolia, an ICC member since 2002. The journey went easily, and Putin was by no means taken into custody.
The view of the courtroom is that, as a member state, Mongolia had an obligation to honor the ICC’s arrest warrant, in keeping with David Bosco, professor at Indiana College, who spoke to NPR’s All Issues Thought of final 12 months.
However, Bosco stated, “Mongolia is also situated right between Russia and China — two countries that it has enormous economic linkages with. And neither of those countries is a member of the ICC. Neither of them are friendly to the ICC. And Mongolia clearly decided that its economic and diplomatic interests outweighed its legal obligations as a court member.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff, proper, shake arms throughout their assembly on the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025.
Gavriil Grigorov/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
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Gavriil Grigorov/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
What are the leaders’ choices?
Whereas consultants and analysts have lengthy stated the prospect of an arrest of Putin is extraordinarily slim, it is unlikely that the Russian chief would take the prospect and maintain such a big assembly on unfriendly floor, Khrushcheva stated.
So this nonetheless seemingly guidelines out most of the 125 nations listed as ICC members. This leaves technically about 70 nations nonetheless accessible, however fewer nonetheless are pleasant to each Russia and the U.S.
Khrushcheva says the Center East seems to be to be essentially the most promising for each side to satisfy, given each Russia and the U.S. have good relations with a number of nations there.
“Either the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia … Turkey are all potential options,” she stated.
That is made much more seemingly as a result of reality prior talks between Russia and Ukraine have been beforehand held in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Many countries within the Center East have “raised their status quite a bit,” as a result of they’ve held these impartial grounds for negotiation, Khrushcheva stated.
And the Center East has performed an more and more large function in internet hosting high-stakes worldwide negotiations. The small, rich Arab Gulf nation of Qatar, additionally a U.S. ally, served as the house for delicate negotiations between Israel and Hamas, because the struggle in Gaza started in October 2023. Egypt additionally performed a vital function in mediating that battle.
