Russian President Vladimir Putin has come under increased scrutiny by world leaders after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Following this development, Russian deputy Security Council Secretary Dmitry Medvedev warned that any attempt to arrest Putin would be considered a "declaration of war" against the country. This warning came after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Putin in Moscow earlier this week and the US and other world entities expressed concern that China might arm Russia in the war.
In response to the warrant, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis branded Putin a "war criminal" and demanded that he be held accountable for his "barbaric invasion" of Ukraine. He also criticized Putin for invading and taking over Crimea in 2014 and said that he had "great ambitions" but "does not have the conventional capability to realize his ambitions" DeSantis added that the US should use its own energy resources instead of relying on Russia, and condemned the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin for overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children. He also went on to say that he would support Taiwan if China would invade it, as it would be an act of aggression, and he also said he would ban TikTok from the US as it is a security risk and harvests data from its users.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C. ) praised DeSantis for his stance on Putin, noting that the majority opinion among Senate Republicans is that the United States has a "vital national security interest" in stopping Russian aggression.
The rising tensions between the US and Russia over Putin's alleged war crimes and the ICC arrest warrant have prompted leaders around the world to take a stronger stance against Putin and his actions. With pressure mounting on Putin it remains to be seen how he will respond and if the US and other nations will take further action to hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.