Russia's deputy foreign minister has suggested that Moscow would not hand over ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to a global court if demanded to do so over for his suspected human rights abuses.

Sergey Ryabkov acknowledged in an interview with NBC television on Tuesday that Assad is in exile in Russia.

The official said, "President Assad is in Russia" and "secured." Ryabkov added that "Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation."

Asked whether Russia would hand over Assad if the International Criminal Court called for him to be put on trial, Ryabkov hinted that Moscow would not. He said Russia is not a party to the convention that established the ICC.

In 2014, the UN Security Council discussed a draft resolution calling for the situation in Syria to be referred to the ICC. The resolution noted that both the Assad administration and anti-government forces were committing human rights violations. It was voted down due to opposition by Russia and China.