Will France arrest Putin if he sets foot on its soil?

(Patria) - France, which has come under pressure over its stance regarding the international arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, has refused to state whether it would be prepared to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin under a similar warrant.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant last week for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and a Hamas military leader for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.

EU member states, including France, are signatories to the ICC's founding statute, but France said on Wednesday that it believes Netanyahu has immunity from the ICC, given that Israel is not a signatory to the Court's statutes.

The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of war crimes and the illegal deportation of hundreds of children from Ukraine, although Russia is not a signatory to the ICC's founding statute.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that the French legal position is essentially the same regarding the arrest warrants for Putin and Netanyahu.

"We were probably less precise when we commented on Putin's case compared to the current one, but in any case, our position is the same," Lemoine told reporters.

When asked if this means France would not arrest Putin if he set foot on French soil, he said:

"When it comes to Vladimir Putin, all those who have committed crimes have no immunity. They must be held accountable for their actions, and we have always said that we will apply international law in all its aspects."

However, he added that the issue of immunity, which is enshrined in the ICC's statutes, is "complex" and that states sometimes have different views on the matter.