If Putin enters Austrian soil, he must be arrested – EU Minister

14:05, 11.04.2023 1 min read

Austria will arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court, if he enters in the country, Austrian Minister for EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler has said.

"Austria will comply with its obligations under international law and criminal law. I was a judge in criminal cases in my civilian job. The issuance of an international arrest warrant by the ICC means that if he enters Austrian soil, he must be arrested," she said in an interview with Tagesspiegel.

The minister said Austria is militarily neutral, but by no means politically neutral.

"We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and support them in humanitarian and economic terms, but not when it comes to arms supplies," she said.