Kremlin Deliberates on Putin's APEC Summit Attendance Amid ICC Warrant

The Kremlin is deciding if President Vladimir Putin will attend November's APEC summit in South Korea, an ICC member. In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Russia dismissed the warrant, but Putin avoids visiting ICC member nations due to arrest risks.

The Kremlin is currently weighing whether President Vladimir Putin will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit set for November in South Korea. The Asian nation holds membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC), which in 2023 issued a warrant for Putin's arrest on alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Russia has previously condemned the ICC's decision as both outrageous and unjustified. Moscow argues that the warrant holds no legal power because Russia is not a member of the ICC. Despite this stance, Putin has refrained from traveling to certain ICC member countries to avoid potential arrest.

The situation places the Kremlin in a diplomatic conundrum as it considers the implications of Putin's participation in the international summit, faced with the potential fallout of diplomatic tensions and the legal entanglements posed by attending.

(With inputs from agencies.)