Ukraine reminds Turkmenistan of ICC arrest warrant issued for Putin ahead of visit

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine reminded Turkmenistan’s leadership of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to the Central Asian nation on Friday.

“Ukraine hopes that the leadership of Turkmenistan realizes that Putin is a war criminal for whom an arrest warrant had been issued by the International Criminal Court for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement.

Arguing that Putin and other Russian authorities are responsible for various crimes, the statement said all these figures must be “brought to justice for crimes committed against the Ukrainian people.”

The statement called on all countries that “value human life, respect international law and the UN Charter” to refrain from holding joint events with Putin’s participation.

It said that Kyiv also appeals to all countries and international organizations to make efforts to effectively implement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-step peace formula, which was laid out at the 2022 G20 summit in Indonesia.

It defined the formula as the “only effective way to end Russian aggression and restore a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine and on the European continent.”

Putin will travel to Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat to take part in a forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Turkmen poet Magtymguly Pyragy.

In March last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin at the request of prosecutor Karim Khan.

The Hague-based tribunal accused Putin of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine after the launch of Russia’s special military operation in February 2022.

Russia denies the allegations, insisting that children were evacuated from the battle zone to save their lives and that the warrant is not applicable, as the country is not a member of the ICC.