US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that he is concerned about the security of the US military in connection with the actions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russia due to the events in Ukraine. He announced this at a hearing in the US Congress, reports DEA News.
Asked why the Pentagon disagreed, Austin said, “It’s important that we hold Russia accountable, and we support efforts to hold them accountable, but I have concerns about the possible reaction to doing so.” In the transfer of data to the ICC on war crimes attributed by the Russian Federation.
The minister stressed that the protection of the US military is always a priority for him in any action. He repeated several times that he was “concerned about the safety of the US military,” according to the agency.
During the hearing, one of the senators said that Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, told him that the data required for the court had been betrayed not by the US Department of Defense, but by the US Department of Justice and the State Department.
The United States does not formally recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC in The Hague, whose jurisdiction Russia does not recognize, issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Child Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, who were accused of deportation by the court. Ukrainian children.
On March 20, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against ICC judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Aytala and Sergio Godinez and prosecutor Karim Khan.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov judicial The unlikely application of the ICC order against Vladimir Putin.