The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Russian President Vladimir Putin is "just the beginning," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, posted on Telegram.
The ICC announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, an official at the center of an alleged scheme to forcibly deport thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba also applauded the warrant, saying the "wheels of justice are turning."
"International criminals will be held accountable for stealing children and other international crimes," he added.
With the warrant, "the world has received a signal that the Russian regime is criminal and that its leadership and accomplices will be brought to justice," Ukrainian General Prosecutor Andriy Kostin said in a post on Facebook Friday. "This means that Putin must be arrested outside of Russia and brought to trial. And world leaders will think twice before shaking his hand or sitting down with him at the negotiating table."
Kostin called the move a historic decision and said he was personally grateful to the ICC.
"In particular, regarding forced deportation of children, [the] Prosecutor General's Office has submitted more than 40 volumes of materials to the ICC — more than 1000 pages,” he added. "Today's decision is a historic step. But it is only the beginning of a long journey to restore justice."
"We expect all states that consider themselves part of the civilized world to take appropriate steps to bring those suspected of committing international crimes to justice," Kostin added.