US remains a rare safe haven for Vladimir Putin

ANCHORAGE: When the International Criminal Court accused President Vladimir Putin of Russia of war crimes in 2023 and issued a warrant for his arrest, the move was largely symbolic because there was little chance he would stand trial. But it immediately jeopardised Putin's ability to travel to the more than 120 countries that have signed on to the ICC.

They include almost every nation in Europe and dozens more in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are all legally required to arrest Putin and send him to The Hague if he sets foot on their soil. But Putin's visit to Alaska highlighted a notable exception.

To prevent the world's highest criminal court from being used to prosecute Americans, the US has long refused to join the ICC, created over 20 years ago under the 1998 Rome Statute to handle accusations of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. As a result, the US is virtually the only country in the West that Putin can visit without worrying about arrest. Only a handful of other major powers, including China, India, Russia and Israel, have abstained from becoming signatories to the court.