16/03/2025
RUSSIA: NO PEACE TALKS IF DUTERTE NOT RELEASED
News Report: Putin Refuses Peace Talks Over Duterteās ICC Detention in Ukraine Negotiations
Moscow, March 15, 2025 ā In a surprising twist to the ongoing Ukraine peace negotiations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that he will refuse to pursue a ceasefire or engage in further talks if former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte remains in custody at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The statement, made early Saturday morning at a press conference in Moscow, has thrown a new wrench into the delicate diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Putinās unexpected condition comes as Duterte, arrested earlier this week by Philippine authorities on an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his āwar on drugs,ā arrived at The Hague on March 12. The 79-year-old former leader, known for his hardline policies and controversial rhetoric, faces charges of orchestrating systematic civilian killings during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and later as president of the Philippines. His detention has already sparked global debate, but its sudden linkage to the Ukraine crisis has left diplomats and analysts scrambling to understand the Kremlinās motives.
āI will not sit at a table to discuss peace while a leader who stood with us is shackled by a court that serves Western interests,ā Putin said, his voice firm as he addressed reporters alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. āDuterteās fate is a signalāif the ICC can take him, they will come for others who defy their order. This is not justice; it is a weapon. Until this changes, there will be no peace in Ukraine.ā
The Russian leaderās remarks appear to reference a historical alignment between Moscow and Manila during Duterteās presidency, which ended in 2022. In 2016, Duterte expressed admiration for Putin and even threatened to follow Russiaās lead in withdrawing from the ICC, calling it āuselessā in response to criticism of his drug war. The two leaders met on several occasions, including a notable 2017 visit where Duterte sought modern arms from Russia to combat Islamist militants, signaling a pivot away from the Philippinesā traditional reliance on the United States. Putin now seems to frame Duterteās ICC detention as a personal affront and a broader attack on anti-Western leaders.
The announcement has stunned negotiators, particularly as it follows a week of cautious optimism. On March 11, U.S. and Ukrainian officials, meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, agreed in principle to a 30-day ceasefire proposal, a plan endorsed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a potential stepping stone to a broader peace deal. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has prioritized ending the war since taking office in January, hailed the talks as āpromisingā and indicated readiness to speak directly with Putin. However, Putinās new stance threatens to derail these efforts entirely.
Experts are divided on the rationale behind Putinās ultimatum. āThis could be a strategic move to complicate negotiations and shift focus away from Ukraine,ā said Dr. Elena Petrova, a Russian foreign policy analyst at the Moscow Institute of International Relations. āBy tying Duterteās case to the talks, Putin may be signaling that he views the ICC as an extension of Western influenceāone heās unwilling to legitimize through cooperation.ā Others suggest a more personal angle, noting Putinās history of loyalty to allies who resist what he calls āglobalist hegemony.ā
In Kyiv, Zelenskyy dismissed Putinās condition as āanother manipulative tacticā to prolong the war. āHe finds any excuse to avoid peace,ā Zelenskyy said in a late-night address on Friday. āFirst it was NATO, then territory, now itās a court case halfway across the world. This is not seriousāitās a game to waste time and lives.ā Ukrainian officials have long insisted that negotiations hinge on Russiaās complete withdrawal from occupied territories, a demand Putin has repeatedly rejected.
The U.S. response has been measured but firm. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Washington, called Putinās linkage of Duterte to Ukraine ābafflingā but reiterated the administrationās commitment to the ceasefire plan. āWeāre not here to negotiate ICC casesāweāre here to stop a war,ā Rubio said. āThe ball remains in Moscowās court.ā Trump, meanwhile, has yet to comment directly on the development, though aides say he is preparing for a possible call with Putin in the coming days.
Duterteās detention has already polarized opinion globally. In The Hague, supporters and detractors clashed outside the ICC on Friday as the former president appeared via video link for an initial hearing. Human rights groups hailed his arrest as a landmark victory against impunity, while his allies, including daughter Vice President Sara Duterte, decried it as politically motivated ākidnapping.ā The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, but the court retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed during Duterteās presidency, a legal nuance that has fueled the controversy.
For now, Putinās refusal to negotiate unless Duterte is released adds an unprecedented layer of complexity to the Ukraine talks. With Russian forces claiming recent gains in the Kursk region and Ukraine bracing for a difficult spring, the prospect of peace hangs in a fragile balanceāone now inexplicably tied to a former Southeast Asian strongmanās fate in a Dutch courtroom.
Reporting by Ab Martin, March 15, 2025, 05:29 AM