Russia does not recognize jurisdiction of International Criminal Court: Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - In response to media reports that the International Criminal Court may open two criminal cases against Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia does not recognize its jurisdiction.

"We do not recognize this court. We do not recognize the jurisdiction of this court. That's how we feel about it," Peskov said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

He said that for many years, no international judicial body or member of the international community "have bothered to pay attention to the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and civilians killings committed” by the Ukrainian army in the Donbas region.

Earlier, a New York Times report said that the court in Hague plans to open two war crimes cases against Moscow tied to the Russia-Ukraine war.

To a question, Peskov said that there can be no talk about a peace process if Ukraine ignores new realities.

"All the requirements of Moscow are well known. The de facto situation and the new realities are also well-known. Without taking into account this set of issues, the transition to a peaceful course is impossible," he said.

Commenting on the possibility of holding peace talks in the Vatican, Peskov said: "We highly appreciate the efforts of those countries that have already made considerable efforts to bring the resolution of this conflict to a peaceful course, but, again, this is not yet possible. So far, this conflict is being resolved by military means."

About remarks by Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta, who spoke in favor of joining sanctions against Russia, Peskov said: "We know that ideas different from Belgrade’s general line aren’t always popular in Serbia and are heavily criticized by the Serbian people."

"We hope that we will solve the most pressing issues within the framework of our partnership and a trusting dialogue with Serbian leaders," he added.

About the collapse of the US Silicon Valley Bank, Peskov said the crisis does not affect the Russian bank system, as it was almost cut from the global financial market due to sanctions.

"Here, to a certain extent, we are insured against the negative impact of the crisis that is currently unfolding overseas," he said.

The spokesman also voiced concern over plans to supply Australia with nuclear-propelled submarines, saying that deliveries of such weapons raise many questions related to the issues of nuclear non-proliferation and that they "must be answered."

Peskov refused to comment on a visit of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad to Moscow and on the possible topics of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before the official announcement of the meetings.

He also said there was no "substantive conversation" or "initiatives" regarding the possibility of holding a meeting between Putin and former US president Donald Trump.