According to a recent report by European Pravda, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria has confirmed that it will adhere to its obligations as a party to the Rome Statute and will arrest and extradite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he visits the country.

The Ministry emphasized that Austria, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, is required to cooperate with the ICC. This means that arrest warrants issued by the Court must be executed, and individuals wanted by the Court must be apprehended, including heads of state.

“Austria is a party to the Rome Statute. This means that Austria, like all other contracting parties, is obliged to cooperate with the ICC: arrest warrants issued by the Court must be executed and persons wanted by the Court must be arrested,” the Ministry noted.

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The Ministry of Justice in Austria further pointed out that in 2019, the International Criminal Court had already established that even heads of state did not have immunity before the Court, citing the case of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

It remains to be seen if Putin will visit Austria, but if he does, the country has affirmed its commitment to fulfill its obligations under the Rome Statute and cooperate with the ICC.

“No one is above the law, which specifically means that every crime should be fully investigated. There should be no impunity,” they added.

The International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber II issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17 in connection with the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

The warrant has sparked discussions among the international community, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on European states who are signatories to the Rome Statute to execute the warrant and extradite Putin to the ICC.

However, Hungary, also a signatory to the Rome Statute, has stated that it will not comply with this request. The situation is developing, and it remains to be seen if other European states will follow Blinken’s call to execute the arrest warrant for Putin.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine continues to be a contentious issue for the international community, and the warrant for Putin’s arrest represents a significant development in the ongoing crisis.