China has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to avoid “politicisation and double standards” after the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges.

During a media briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also called on the ICC to “uphold an objective and impartial stance” and “respect the immunity of heads of state from jurisdiction under international law.”

China is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the United Nations treaty which governs the court. Russia and the United States are among a handful of countries that initially signed the Rome Statute, only to later declare they would not ratify the treaty.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also criticised Putin’s arrest warrant on Monday.

“They decided to try a president of … a nuclear power that does not participate in the ICC on the same grounds as the United States and other countries,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

“The consequences for international law will be monstrous.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the arrest warrant was one of a number of “hostile displays” against Putin.

“We note them, but if we took every one to heart, nothing good would come of it. Therefore, we look at this calmly, note everything attentively and continue to work,” he told reporters on Monday.

Justice ministers from around the world are set to convene in London on Monday to discuss ways to scale up support for the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning the war on Monday, March 20: Defense ministers from the European Union are meeting in Brussels on today (Monday) to finalise a plan to supply €2 billion ($2.1 billion) in ammunition to Ukraine.

Under the plan, €1 billion will be used to reimburse EU members that immediately supply Ukraine with ammunition from their own existing stockpiles. Another €1 billion will be used to jointly fast-track orders of ammunition specifically for Ukraine.

“Together, foreign affairs and defence (ministers) will, I hope, finish the agreement on providing ammunition to Ukraine,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters ahead of the talks.

The EU aims to deliver one million 155-millimetre artillery shells to Ukraine this year.

The United Kingdom signed a new trade deal with Ukraine on Monday designed to help with the reconstruction effort after the war. The deal will allow Ukrainian businesses to trade with the UK using electronic transactions, e-signatures and e-contracts.

“The historic digital trade deal signed today paves the way for a new era of modern trade between our two countries,” British Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said.

The UK will also extend its arrangement to cut all tariffs on goods imported from Ukraine until March, 2024. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the Russian capital on Monday to meet with an increasingly isolated Putin.

The two leaders are expected to discuss Beijing’s proposal for a ceasefire, while the Kremlin also said Putin would provide “clarifications” on Russia’s point of view. Xi described his three-day trip as “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.” Analysts say China is attempting to present itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Putin praised China’s “balanced” stance on the conflict in an article he wrote for a Chinese newspaper.

• A Tell /Reuters / AFP/ AP/ DPA report