Despite the warrant of the International Criminal Court, Hungary will not arrest Putin

Hungary will not arrest Putin if he enters the country. Budapest believes that the International Criminal Courtʼs (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Russian president will contribute to escalation.

This was stated by the chief of staff of the Prime Minister of Hungary Hergeli Gulyash, Reuters reports.

Gulyash noted that, according to the Hungarian legal system, Budapest has no legal grounds to arrest the Russian president, although Hungary has signed and ratified the Rome Statute.

That is, Hungary formally approved the statute, but did not change the legislation for its implementation.

"We can refer to the Hungarian law and on its basis we cannot arrest the president of Russia," Gulyash noted.

He also stated that the Hungarian government has not yet "formulated a position" on the arrest warrant for Putin.

"These decisions are not the best, as they lead to further escalation, not peace, this is my personal subjective opinion," Gulyash added.

• On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the Russian Presidentʼs Commissioner for Childrenʼs Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of directing the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, which is a war crime. Children were taken out without the permission of relatives and Ukraine, in Russia they were granted citizenship. For this purpose, Putin passed a number of decrees that simplified these procedures, and Lvova-Belova carried out his instructions. Together with their parents, up to 150 000 children could be deported to Russia. This is the fifth time in its history that the International Criminal Court has issued such a warrant to a sitting president.
• 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute are now bound to arrest Putin. These are all European countries, all South American countries, including some members of BRICS — an organization in which Russia is a member. Also, members of the ICC include Japan, Australia and Canada, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and many other countries.