Vladimir Putin’s upcoming trip to the United States has reignited fierce debate over whether the Russian president could be arrested on American soil — and whether such a move would even be possible under international law.
The 72-year-old Kremlin leader is set to arrive in Alaska on Friday, 15 August, for a high-profile summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The meeting is aimed at discussing an end to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has defined global politics since February 2022. This will be the first time Putin has been invited to the U.S. in a decade, signalling a rare moment of direct diplomacy between the two countries.
Notably absent from the meeting will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose nation is at the centre of the war being discussed. The exclusion has raised eyebrows, with some critics suggesting it leaves Trump and Putin to negotiate one-on-one without Ukraine’s direct representation.
The trip comes as Putin remains a wanted man under international law. On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him, alongside Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. Both face allegations of unlawfully deporting thousands of children from occupied Ukrainian territories into Russia. Research by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab estimates that at least 35,000 Ukrainian children have been taken since the war began.
Under the Rome Statute — the treaty that established the ICC — the court’s 125 member states are obligated to arrest anyone subject to such a warrant if they enter their jurisdiction. This list of countries includes major U.S. allies such as the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and Ukraine itself.
However, the United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. Alongside Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, the U.S. does not recognise the ICC’s authority. This means that despite the international arrest warrant, there is no legal obligation for Washington to detain Putin upon his arrival.
That has not stopped calls from politicians, activists, and members of the public for the U.S. to act. “Putin is wanted for war crimes, the only thing Trump should be doing is make sure Putin is arrested,” wrote one social media user reacting to the news of the meeting. Another added: “Since Putin is an internationally wanted [alleged] war criminal, I assume that Trump is going to have him arrested in Alaska.”
Military experts, however, believe the possibility of an arrest is virtually zero. Former British Army officer Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told The Sun that Trump will almost certainly have given “cast iron” assurances to Putin that he will not be arrested while in the U.S. “The criminal proceedings against him won’t be touched during this trip,” he said.
Were the U.S. — or any nation — to actually detain Putin, the consequences could be catastrophic. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has previously warned that arresting Putin would be seen as a “declaration of war” by Moscow, even hinting at nuclear retaliation.
Despite the ICC warrant, Putin has already travelled to at least one ICC member state since its issuance. In late 2024, he visited Mongolia, prompting criticism from Western governments when the country failed to act on the warrant. Mongolian officials defended the decision by citing a “policy of neutrality” and heavy reliance on Russian petroleum and electricity supplies.
Putin’s U.S. trip is set to be closely watched not only for its diplomatic implications but also for the optics of a leader wanted for alleged war crimes stepping foot in a Western nation without consequence. While the ICC warrant theoretically means he could be arrested in over half the world’s countries, the reality is that geopolitical interests, military power, and economic dependencies make such a move highly unlikely.
The Alaska summit will focus on negotiations over Ukraine, though without Zelenskyy present, many question how substantive any agreements could be. For Trump, it is an opportunity to position himself as a broker of peace ahead of the U.S. election cycle. For Putin, it is a chance to project legitimacy and defiance in the face of ongoing international condemnation.
Whether the visit will produce meaningful progress on ending the war — or simply serve as a political showpiece for both leaders — remains to be seen. But the sight of Vladimir Putin stepping off a plane onto U.S. soil, still wanted by the ICC, will ensure this meeting is remembered regardless of its outcome.