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| Russian President Vladimir Putin |
The International Criminal Court has announced it has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the "unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children.
The Hague-based ICC said it had also issued a warrant against Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights, on similar charges.
BREAKING: International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Russian President Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Lvova-Belova for war crimes related to Ukraine: https://t.co/gZJh3ZnrCA
— Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) March 17, 2023
Earlier, Russia said that all fighter jets supplied to Ukraine by Western nations would be destroyed, after NATO members Poland and Slovakia pledged to send MiG-29 jets to Kyiv.
Since Russia's invasion last year NATO countries have sent billions of dollars of military aid to Ukraine, as Kyiv asks for weapons it says are vital to fend off Russian advances.
Moscow has accused the West of directly participating in the conflict through supplying weapons to Ukraine, and has warned before that NATO weapons were legitimate targets for its forces.
"In the course of the special military operation all this equipment will be subject to destruction," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"It feels like all of these countries are thus engaged in the disposal of old unnecessary equipment," he said.
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| Polish Air Force MIG-29 jets take part in a NATO shielding exercise at Lask Air Base last October |
Slovakia will donate 13 MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, making it the second NATO member to announce such a shipment following a similar move by Poland.
"We will hand over 13 of our MiG-29 jets to Ukraine," Slovak premier Eduard Heger said, adding that Bratislava would also deliver a Kub air defence system to Ukraine.
Ukraine has long requested fighter jets from Western allies, although seeking primarily modern US-made F-16s.
"Our steps are fully coordinated with Poland and Ukraine," Mr Heger said, adding that his government "stands on the right side of history".
The Kremlin in response said the fighter jets given to Ukraine would be destroyed, and repeated that Western arms deliveries to Kyiv would not change Russia's military aims.
"The supply of this military equipment - as we have repeatedly said - will not change the outcome of the special military operation... Of course, all this equipment will be destroyed," Mr Peskov said, using the official Russian term for Moscow's military intervention.
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| Dmitry Peskov pictured alongside Vladimir Putin |
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday announced that Warsaw would send four Soviet-made MiG-29 jets to Ukraine "in the coming days".
Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said the transfer of MiGs from Slovakia to Kyiv will take "a couple of weeks".
The Slovak batch will include 10 operational MiG-29 fighter jets and an additional three that have not been operational since 2008.
Slovakia also has one other Mig-29 that will be placed in a military museum at home.
Slovakia plans to replace the jets with American F-16s. The changeover should take place no later than January 2024.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia next week to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Xi's trip on 20-22 March comes after China last month published a 12-point plan for "a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis" and after a senior Chinese diplomat called yesterday for negotiations in a call with Ukraine's foreign minister.
The plan calls for the protection of civilians and for Russia and Ukraine to respect each other's sovereignty.
However, the United States and NATO have said Beijing's efforts to mediate are not credible as it has refrained from condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Mr Xi's visit to Russia - his first in nearly four years - was in part to promote "peace", although he made no explicit mention of the Ukraine war.
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| Xi Jinping alongside Vladimir Putin in September 2022 |
He said the leaders would also exchange opinions on major regional and international issues, strengthen bilateral trust and deepen economic partnerships.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Mr Xi and Mr Putin would discuss "topical issues of further development of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic cooperation between Russia and China". The statement also made no mention of Ukraine.
Mr Xi will hold a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky following his Russia visit, according to some media reports. Beijing has not confirmed the call.
China and Russia announced a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Mr Putin visited Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the biggest conflict seen in Europe since World War Two.
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Beijing and Moscow have since continued to reaffirm the strength of their ties. Bilateral trade has soared since the invasion and China is Russia's biggest buyer of oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled their homes in Ukraine since the invasion and there is currently no sign of either side actively seeking an end to the conflict.
Ukraine has taken issue with Beijing's proposals for not stating that Russia should withdraw behind borders in place since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, though it later said it was open to "parts of the plan".
Russia welcomed Beijing's initiative and said it would make a "nuanced study" of the plan but has also said it sees no sign for now of a peaceful resolution.
Moscow says Ukraine must accept its annexation of four regions in the east and south of the country along with the loss of Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula it forcibly annexed in 2014.
Russia says its actions in Ukraine are a defensive pushback against a hostile and aggressive West, while Kyiv and its Western allies say they represent an imperial-style land grab.
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| The drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian jets |
Separately, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has presented pilots with awards for preventing a US drone from entering the area of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Russian state-owned news agency RIA has reported.
The drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian jets.
AFP/Reuters/RTE
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