Scholz: Criminal warrant against Putin shows 'no one is above the law'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday welcomed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it showed "no one is above the law".

Speaking at a joint news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Scholz said: "The ICC is the right institution to investigate war crimes. The truth is that no one is above the law and that's now clear."

The International Criminal Court on Friday called for Putin's arrest on suspicion of illegally deporting children and illegally transferring people from Ukraine to Russia since last year's Russia-Ukraine war.