Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić criticized the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, saying that it will only prolong the war in Ukraine, reports Guardian.

A warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on Friday charges Putin with war crimes, holding him personally responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children during the invasion.

• “I think issuing an arrest warrant for Putin to avoid meddling in legal matters would have dire political consequences, and he says there is a great reluctance to talk about peace (and) a ceasefire. Do you really think you can defeat Russia through a month, three months or a year? There is no doubt that the goal of those who did this is to make it difficult for Putin to communicate so that everyone who talks to him knows that he is accused of war crimes,” said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who previously boasted of his personal relationship with the Russian leader, he told reporters in Belgrade on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

It will be recalled that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on behalf of Putin for the war crime of illegal deportation of at least 100 children from Ukraine.

The ruling obliges the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and hand him over to The Hague for trial if he enters their territory.

In the first reaction from Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Telegram channel: “The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no significance for our country, including from a legal point of view.”

“Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and has no obligations under it.”

On Sunday, Putin took a bold step visited the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Donetsk region, occupied by Moscow troops.