Putin intends to visit China: how the arrest warrant affects his travels

According to media reports, Putin plans to visit China in October. The reason for his visit is that Russia is seeking to strengthen ties with one of its closest allies.

"It is known that we have received an invitation and intend to go to China when the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R) forum takes place in October", said Putin's aide, Roy Ushakov.

As a reminder, in March 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Moscow. During the visit, he said that relations between the two countries were entering a new era. At the same time, China and Russia are strategic allies, and Beijing refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Putin's arrest warrant

In March of this year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The warrant was also issued in the name of Maria Alekseevna Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights.

According to the court's decision, Putin must be arrested in 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute or recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said that the Hague warrant allows Putin to be arrested outside Russia and brought to court.

BRICS summit

At the end of August, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit will take place in South Africa. However, Putin's visit was still in doubt due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

According to the law, South Africa must arrest Putin if he arrives. South Africa has been trying to secure immunity for the dictator. But later South Africa officially requests an arrest warrant for Putin.