An arrest warrant is not a criminal sentence. This also applies to international criminal law. The decision of the International Criminal Court is therefore not yet a final legal vote on Vladimir Putin's responsibility for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Whether he will ever stand trial in The Hague is uncertain.

Nevertheless, the arrest warrant is a strong signal: The Rome Statute links the decree to clear conditions. What is required is a reasonable suspicion that the addressee has committed the crime of which he is accused. There must be sufficient evidence for this. The investigators in The Hague are of the opinion that they have them together. The narrative, which is also popular among German Putin sympathizers, that Russian war crimes can be traced back to the excesses of individual soldiers, is thus forcefully countered.

Shortcomings of the Rome Statute

However, the war crimes arrest warrant also reminds us that the International Criminal Court cannot take action against Putin for all the violations of its statute. The Russian president must not be held accountable in The Hague simply because of the war of aggression against Ukraine. The Rome Statute is worded in such a way that such an indictment would ultimately require Russia's consent. Western states also bear a share of responsibility for the fact that the hurdles for effective punishment of aggression are so high.