ICC War Crimes Hearing Against Putin in Absentia ‘Conceivable,’ Deputy Prosecutor Says

International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang told AFP on Friday that it is “conceivable” that the Hague could hold a hearing against Russian President Vladimir Putin in his absence.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova – for the “war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

More than two years on, tens of thousands of Ukrainian children remain missing, separated from their families and trafficked to Russia.

The Kremlin has previously stated that it rejects the ICC’s rulings as illegitimate.

The 24th Session of the Assembly of States Party to the Rome Statute (the international treaty which established the ICC) is being held at the Hague from Dec. 1-6. On Friday, Niang suggested for the first time that the court may be able to progress the cases of Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without their attendance in person.

“We tested it in the [Joseph] Kony case. It’s a cumbersome process. But we tried it and we realized it was possible and useful,” Niang said – referring to the case of a Ugandan war criminal whose ICC arrest warrant had been outstanding for two decades before the ICC confirmed his charges in his absence on Nov. 6. Kony remains a fugitive.

Other Topics of Interest

Former President Poroshenko on Ceasefire, 2014 Lessons, Trump, and UN

In a wide-ranging discussion at the Black Sea Security Forum 2026, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reflected on Ukraine’s transformation since 2014, arguing that the country has broken decisively with its Soviet past, built Europe’s strongest army, and must pursue EU and NATO membership as the foundation of its long-term security.

On Monday, ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane told countries which accept its jurisdiction that the ICC will not bow to pressure from the US and Russia, as per Euronews.

US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on nine ICC staff members over their investigations into Israeli and US officials. Similarly, the Kremlin has issued tit-for-tat arrest warrants against ICC employees in response to its investigations into Russian war crimes.

Also on Friday, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said that those investigations could not be halted by the progress of peace talks. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Moscow this week to discuss a US-drafted plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

“There must be the possibility of accountability in order for peace to be enduring, to be sustainable,” Khan said, as per Euronews.

The plan, which Russian officials helped draft and was unilaterally favorable to the Kremlin in its original form, leaked to the press in late November – triggering weeks of frantic diplomacy from US, European, and Ukrainian officials.