Despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued in March 2023 for Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes, the Russian president will not face arrest during his meeting in Alaska. The primary reason is that the United States is not a party to the ICC, meaning the court’s warrants have no legal validity on American soil.
Although President Joe Biden has called Putin a “war criminal” and supported the warrant, the U.S. has a long-standing position of non-involvement with the court. President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, but the Senate never ratified it. Later, President George W. Bush formally ended U.S. participation, citing concerns about American sovereignty. The Trump administration was openly hostile to the court, going so far as to sanction some of its officials.
The article speculates that the ICC’s lack of jurisdiction in the U.S. may have been a factor in choosing Alaska for the summit. It also highlights that international law is only as enforceable as national governments are willing to make it. This was demonstrated in August 2023 when Putin visited Mongolia, an ICC member state, and was not arrested. Ultimately, President Donald Trump wants to meet with Putin, and this political reality supersedes the legal matter.
