US Attorney General Merrick Garland makes surprise ICC visit, amid Russian war crimes investigations

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unannounced visit to the International Criminal Court on Monday and met its top prosecutor, a sign of Washington's shifting policy toward the world's permanent war crimes tribunal.

The United States in not a member of the court, along with major powers including China and Russia, and it imposed sanctions against top ICC officials under the Trump administration.

But under U.S. President Joe Biden those sanctions were lifted and Washington supported the ICC's work in investigating war crimes in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February of 2022.

The ICC said on Twitter that Garland had met with top prosecutor Karim Khan, but it did not provide any details about the meetings. The visit had not been announced ahead of time and no information was provided to the media.

Garland's meeting with top court officials is proof of the improved relationship between Washington and the court, which in March issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Biden has said that the ICC warrant was justified.

Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities and the Kremlin branded the court decision to issue a warrant for Putin as "null and void."

Not everyone in the current U.S. administration has embraced warmer ties with the ICC.

Last month, U.S. lawmakers said the State and Justice departments were cooperating with the court, but accused the Pentagon of undermining the war crimes prosecution of Russian officials by blocking the sharing of U.S. military intelligence. 

(Reuters)