Germany to arrest Putin if he arrives in country

Marco Buschmann, the German Justice Minister, has announced that he will execute an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin if he sets foot on German soil.

Buschmann said that, in the event of Putin's arrival, the International Criminal Court will quickly turn to Interpol and the contracting states and demand the execution of the warrant, Ukrainska Pravda, referring to Die Zeit.

"Then Germany will be obliged to arrest President Putin if he enters German territory and hand him over to the International Criminal Court," the minister said.

Unlike national law enforcement agencies, the ICC can also take action against heads of state, added Buschmann.

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the ICC's decision and said that the warrant for Putin's arrest shows that no one is above the law.

On 17 March, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Maria Olekseevna Lvova-Belova, Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Affairs.