Ukraine war – latest news: Biden says Putin ‘clearly committed war crimes’ after ICC arrest warrant

Any China-brokered ceasefire would legitimise the illegal takeover of Ukrainian territory and would not gain support from the US, the White House has said:

Chinese president Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday in an apparent show of support for Vladimir Putin, officials in Beijing have confirmed.

The two leaders are likely to discuss sanctions evasion schemes and Chinese interest in mediating a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, according to the US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War.

It pointed out that the Kremlin has stated both presidents “plan to sign unspecified bilateral documents and discuss topical issues in Russia’s and China’s comprehensive partnership”.

“Chinese companies have reportedly sold rifles, drone parts, and equipment to Russian entities that could be used for military purposes, and Western intelligence agencies have stated that Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment to Russia,” the ISW said in its latest assessment of the continuing war.

It added that the Chinese president likely plans to discuss sanctions evasion schemes with MRPutin and Russian officials to support the sale and provision of Chinese equipment to Russia.

“Xi also likely aims to promote Chinese efforts aiming to position China as an impartial third-party mediator for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. China released a broad 12-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine on 24 February, although it remains unclear what more definitive Chinese proposals for a negotiated settlement to the war would encompass,” it said.

The Chinese leader, Russia’s closest-ally amid the war on Ukraine, “may seek to parlay his success in mediating the restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia into a larger effort to mediate in this war,” the think-tank noted.

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A multi-storey building burns after being attacked by a Russian air strike in Avdiivka, Donetsk:

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Russia doesn’t recognise the International Criminal Court and regards its decisions “legally void”.

The international court’s move to issue an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin over war crimes is “outrageous and unacceptable.” Mr Peskov refused to comment when asked if Mr Putin would avoid making trips to countries where he could be arrested on the ICC’s warrant.

An arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin has been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which accuses him of war crimes by taking hundreds of Ukrainian children from orphanages.

The court accuses Mr Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, of “unlawful deportation” of children “from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”.

It means the court’s 123 member states must detain Mr Putin and him over for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

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Russian president Vladimir Putin has clearly committed war crimes and the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for him was justified, his US counterpart Joe Biden said yesterday.

“He’s clearly committed war crimes,” Mr Biden said.

Speaking about the warrant from the International Criminal Court, he added: “Well, I think it’s justified. But the question is – it’s not recognized internationally by us either. But I think it makes a very strong point.”

The ICC has called for Putin’s arrest on suspicion of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow’s invasion began of its neighbour last year. The United States is not a member of the ICC.

There is no doubt Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine, a US State Department spokesperson said after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin.

“There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities (in) Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“This was a decision the ICC prosecutor reached independently based on the facts before him.”

The US, which is not a member of the ICC, has separately concluded that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine and supports accountability for perpetrators of war crimes, the spokesperson added.

Russian fighter pilots involved in an incident with a US drone that resulted in its crash will be given state awards, Moscow’s Defence Ministry has announced.

The move appears to signal the Kremlin’s intention to adopt a more aggressive stance toward future US surveillance flights.

The US military said it ditched the Air Force MQ-9 Reaper in the Black Sea on Tuesday after a pair of Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the surveillance drone and then one of them struck its propeller while it was flying in international airspace.

Moscow has denied that its warplanes hit the drone, alleging that it crashed while making a sharp manoeuvre. It said its aircraft reacted to a violation of a no-flight zone Russia has established in the area near Crimea amid the fighting in Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Bakhmut say they fear they are being sent to their deaths amid a relentless push by Russian forces to capture the city: