Putin Evades Arrest Once More

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, continues to travel internationally, defying the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant issued on March 17, 2023. The warrant alleges Putin committed war crimes in Ukraine, specifically the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Putin recently attended a forum in Turkmenistan, a nation that hasn’t ratified the Rome Statute and thus isn’t obligated to enforce ICC rulings. Despite Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry calling for his arrest, Turkmenistan took no action. This follows a similar pattern to Putin’s early September visit to Mongolia, where calls for his arrest from Kiev and human rights organizations were also disregarded.

These unhindered travels underscore the ICC warrant’s limited reach in countries not bound by the Rome Statute.