Medvedev: ICC's Decision on Putin Will Have Horrible Consequences

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. EPA
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. EPA
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Medvedev: ICC's Decision on Putin Will Have Horrible Consequences

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. EPA
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. EPA

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russia President Vladimir Putin will have horrible consequences for international law.

"They decided to try a president of ... a nuclear power that does not participate in the ICC on the same grounds as the United States and other countries," Medvedev wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

"The consequences for international law will be monstrous."

Justice ministers from around the world will meet in London on Monday to discuss scaling up support for the ICC after it issued the arrest warrant for Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the war. Moscow rejects the charge.

"We are gathering in London today united by one cause: to hold war criminals to account for the atrocities committed in Ukraine during this unjust, unprovoked and unlawful invasion," British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday.

Several European Union countries will sign an agreement on Monday in Brussels to buy 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine, with the first orders possibly placed by the end of May.

Ukraine has identified the supply of 155 mm shells as a critical need, with both sides firing thousands of artillery rounds every day.

In Ukraine, fierce fighting continued in the eastern town of Bakhmut with each side launching counter offensives. Ukrainian forces have held out in Bakhmut since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the year-long war.



China' Xi to Visit Russia May 7-10, Kremlin Says

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a group photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a group photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP, File)
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China' Xi to Visit Russia May 7-10, Kremlin Says

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a group photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a group photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP, File)

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make an official visit to Russia from May 7-10, where he will participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
In a statement on Telegram, the Kremlin said that Xi will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin the development of the two countries' strategic partnership, as well as signing a number of documents.
"During the talks, the main issues of further development of relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, as well as current issues on the international and regional agenda will be discussed," the Kremlin said.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two but pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in 1945.
Several other national leaders are expected at the celebrations, including the presidents of Brazil and Serbia, and the prime minister of Slovakia, said Reuters.
Putin has proposed a three day ceasefire with Ukraine around the May 9 celebration, one of the most important in the Russian calendar.
Responding to Moscow's offer of the three-day ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was ready as long as the ceasefire would be 30 days in length, something Putin had already ruled out in the near term, saying he wants a long-term settlement not a brief pause.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine, given the continued war with Russia, could not guarantee the safety of any foreign dignitaries who came to Moscow for the traditional May 9 victory parade.