Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin recalled that anti-LGBT laws have been in effect in Russia for three years, prohibiting any propaganda of LGBT rights, pedophilia, and gender reassignment. He also noted that, according to the amendment to the country's Constitution, "marriage is a union between a man and a woman," emphasizing that this is the choice of Russian citizens.
Russia needs certain assurances from Armenia in connection with its accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC), this issue remains to be resolved. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian President Peskov, speaking about the possibility of Vladimir Putin’s visit to Yerevan.
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of “illegal deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine” to Russia during the “SVO.” Armenia officially became a member of the ICC on February 1, 2024 and is obliged to arrest the President of the Russian Federation in the event of his visit.
The day before, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, when asked by The Telegraph correspondent whether he could call Putin and warn him not to come, replied: “I don’t think he needs my advice.”