٠٠:٠٥:٣٥Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western powers had 'artificially played up' the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Mongolia this week, speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
"Regarding the International Criminal Court, this topic did not arise at all during the preparation of the visit to the Mongolian capital. In my opinion, this topic is being played up artificially; the West wants this, not being shy of double standards at all, because you know that Americans are not party to the [Rome] Statute," Lavrov stated.
He also claimed that Western countries 'will not let' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold 'fair negotiations' with Russia.
"The West has set the goal of radically weakening the Russian Federation and defeating it strategically, if not dismembering it, although this is also being voiced. That is why the West will not allow him to take any steps towards us. And I think he can no longer even understand what is in the interests of the Ukrainian people. He has repeatedly betrayed these interests," he added.
Putin visited Mongolia, which is a party to the ICC, on Monday. Ukraine called on the country to comply with the warrant, while the EU acknowledged Mongolia’s right to pursue its international relations according to its interests but reminded the country of its legal obligations as a party to the Rome Statute. Mongolia did not directly comment.
The arrest warrants against both Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova - over alleged 'war crimes' related to the deportation of children from Ukraine - was condemned by Moscow as 'outrageous and unacceptable.'
Russia maintains that the evacuation of children from war zones was done in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
West 'artificially' played up ICC arrest warrant’s topic during Putin’s visit to Mongolia - Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western powers had 'artificially played up' the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Mongolia this week, speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
"Regarding the International Criminal Court, this topic did not arise at all during the preparation of the visit to the Mongolian capital. In my opinion, this topic is being played up artificially; the West wants this, not being shy of double standards at all, because you know that Americans are not party to the [Rome] Statute," Lavrov stated.
He also claimed that Western countries 'will not let' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold 'fair negotiations' with Russia.
"The West has set the goal of radically weakening the Russian Federation and defeating it strategically, if not dismembering it, although this is also being voiced. That is why the West will not allow him to take any steps towards us. And I think he can no longer even understand what is in the interests of the Ukrainian people. He has repeatedly betrayed these interests," he added.
Putin visited Mongolia, which is a party to the ICC, on Monday. Ukraine called on the country to comply with the warrant, while the EU acknowledged Mongolia’s right to pursue its international relations according to its interests but reminded the country of its legal obligations as a party to the Rome Statute. Mongolia did not directly comment.
The arrest warrants against both Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova - over alleged 'war crimes' related to the deportation of children from Ukraine - was condemned by Moscow as 'outrageous and unacceptable.'
Russia maintains that the evacuation of children from war zones was done in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western powers had 'artificially played up' the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Mongolia this week, speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
"Regarding the International Criminal Court, this topic did not arise at all during the preparation of the visit to the Mongolian capital. In my opinion, this topic is being played up artificially; the West wants this, not being shy of double standards at all, because you know that Americans are not party to the [Rome] Statute," Lavrov stated.
He also claimed that Western countries 'will not let' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold 'fair negotiations' with Russia.
"The West has set the goal of radically weakening the Russian Federation and defeating it strategically, if not dismembering it, although this is also being voiced. That is why the West will not allow him to take any steps towards us. And I think he can no longer even understand what is in the interests of the Ukrainian people. He has repeatedly betrayed these interests," he added.
Putin visited Mongolia, which is a party to the ICC, on Monday. Ukraine called on the country to comply with the warrant, while the EU acknowledged Mongolia’s right to pursue its international relations according to its interests but reminded the country of its legal obligations as a party to the Rome Statute. Mongolia did not directly comment.
The arrest warrants against both Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova - over alleged 'war crimes' related to the deportation of children from Ukraine - was condemned by Moscow as 'outrageous and unacceptable.'
Russia maintains that the evacuation of children from war zones was done in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.