While the Hungarian government has yet to take an official position on the International Criminal Court’s war crimes warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Thursday that the country’s constitution wouldn’t allow for its enforcement.
“We can refer to the Hungarian law, and based on that we cannot arrest the Russian president ... as the ICC statute has not been promulgated in Hungary,” said PM Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, addressing reporters during a press conference in Budapest.
“These decisions are not the most fortunate as they take things towards further escalation and not towards peace,” Gulyas said in reference to the ICC warrant, qualifying it as his “personal, subjective opinion.”
Last week, the ICC called for the arrest of Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of personal, command and indirect responsibility for “forcible transfer of population,” referring to Moscow’s efforts to evacuate children from the combat zone. Ukraine cheered the move, accusing Russia of “kidnapping” children.
Moscow responded by saying the ICC has no authority or legitimacy, as Russia never ratified the 1998 Rome Statute that established the court. Former president Dmitry Medvedev said that the charges meant a “complete collapse of international law.” Russian authorities have also initiated criminal proceedings against the ICC’s head prosecutor and three judges involved with the warrant.
Ukraine never ratified the Rome Statute either, but the government set up after the US-backed coup in 2014 announced it would accept its jurisdiction for crimes allegedly committed by Russia on its territory.
Hungary did ratify the Rome Statute, and was actually among the NATO countries and other US allies that sent the ICC a criminal referral on Ukraine on March 2, at least according to the court.
Washington was not directly involved, however, as the US does not recognize the ICC either. After withdrawing its signature on the Rome Treaty in 2002, the US Congress passed a law allowing for the use of military force to rescue any American or member of an allied military, should they be detained in The Hague.
Hungary does not support UK’s decision to ship depleted uranium shells to Kiev — official
Hungary considers the UK’s decision to ship depleted uranium shells to Ukraine wrong, Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas told reported Thursday.
This step does not lead towards de-escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, Gulyas said, adding that Hungary would not recommend anyone to use depleted uranium shells.
"Hungary does not support any actions that could lead to an escalation of the war," the Minister said.
He also noted that the Hungarian government does not ship weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, and calls for resolution of the ongoing conflict only via peace negotiations.
Earlier on Monday, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said in her written response to an inquiry by Member of the House of Lords Raymond Jolliffe that British authorities will send shells to Ukraine that contain depleted uranium and that feature improved efficiency against armored vehicles.
Commenting on this decision of British authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will have to correspondingly react to the fact that the "collective West begins using weapons with a nuclear component."
The Russian Embassy in the UK warned London against shipping depleted uranium shells to Kiev. The Embassy underscored that this step may cause an escalation of the conflict, and use of such shells in Ukraine would affect the health of the local population.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy starts leaving Kiev-Pechersk Lavra — ministry
Clergy of the canonic Ukrainian Orthodox Church have started to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine’s Culture and Information Policy Minister Alexander Tkachenko said in a live broadcast on national television on Thursday night.
"The process UOC’s withdrawal from the [Kiev-Pechersk] Lavra is now under way," he said. "The process has begun."
©Peter Sivkov/TASS
According to the minister, police and security officers are inspecting the departing monks and their luggage.
"If a state commission finds that something is missing in the Lavra, the UOC clergy will be prosecuted by law," Tkachenko added.
On March 10, an eviction notice from the acting director general of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Historical and Cultural Reserve (subordinate to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture) was published on the monastery’s website, stating that monks affiliated with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church must leave the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra by March 29, when the current lease expires.
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