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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin by the ICC could trigger a nuclear war. Photo/REUTERS
PHNOM PENH – Cambodian Prime Minister (PM) Hun Sen warned of the issuance of an arrest warrant for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) may cause nuclear war .
In addition, the ICC’s move also created other implications globally.
According to Prime Minister Hun Sen, the warrant has only sown further divisions in the world, potentially jeopardizing diplomatic efforts to reach a resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which has been raging for more than a year.
“This ICC warrant to arrest Putin will complicate efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, especially ahead of (Chinese) President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow where he is expected to broker peace,” he said in a statement.
“The warrant also poses a threat to international efforts in other areas, namely dealing with global issues such as climate change and disease,” he said.
In his opinion, the ICC’s move has sharply increased the risk of events leading to a nuclear confrontation in Europe.
“Will Putin agree to be arrested without a confrontation? If the ICC tries to catch him, will the Russian authorities let this happen so easily?” he said, as quoted by Russia Today, Monday (20/3/2023).
He noted that while the ICC currently has 123 member states, a large number of countries, such as the United States, Russia, India and China do not recognize it.
The ICC also does not have the power to arrest a suspect without the cooperation of the relevant national government.
