Berlin's Stance on Arrest Warrant for Putin Flags Drive for Escalation: Russian Ambassador

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The stance of some German government officials on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Russian President Vladimir Putin causes concern and indicates their intention to further escalate tensions with Moscow, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev said on Sunday.

"The irresponsible statements by some German representatives that they support the illegal and completely absurd ICC decision and are prepared to implement it are extremely worrying and indicate how far removed from reality they are in their efforts to escalate the conflict with Russia further," Nechaev was quoted as saying by the Russian Embassy in Berlin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stated that Russia is not a party to the ICC and its jurisdiction is not recognized by Moscow so any of its decisions against the country are null from the legal point of view.

Russia will proceed based on its interests in the issue of the Russian-German diplomatic relations after Berlin's statement on the arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov said.

"Russia is doing and will do everything which corresponds to its interests," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman reiterated that Russia considered any decisions of the ICC "legally null" for Moscow.

Earlier in the day, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said that the warrant for the arrest of Putin would be in effect after the International Criminal Court (ICC) makes a request on the warrant's enforcement.

On Friday, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin as well as Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, citing "unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation." Meanwhile, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told German media that the arrest warrant for Putin will be in effect in Germany after the ICC makes a request on its enforcement. German Chancellor Olaf Sholz also backed the warrant during his visit to Japan on Saturday, saying that "nobody is above the law."