Ukraine Demands International Arrest of Vladimir Putin at Major Istanbul Inter-Parliamentary Summit

Rada deputy Oleksandr Merezhko urges IPU delegates in Istanbul to enforce ICC arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin to ensure justice and peace in Ukraine.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 17, 2026, 4:19 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Interfax-Ukraine

A Call for Universal Enforcement of International Law

The 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), held at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel in Turkey, became a platform for intense diplomatic pressure as the Ukrainian delegation urged a global boycott of Russian war criminals. Oleksandr Merezhko, representing the Servant of the People faction, delivered a forceful address to the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, highlighting the legal necessity of apprehending individuals indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Merezhko argued that the 125 member states of the ICC, many of whom are active IPU participants, must honor their treaty obligations under the Rome Statute to detain President Vladimir Putin and his associates should they cross into their territories.

Targeting the Kremlin’s Inner Circle for Accountability

The Ukrainian appeal focused specifically on the standing arrest warrants issued for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova regarding the unlawful deportation of children, as well as more recent warrants for senior military figures like Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov. Merezhko asserted that the establishment of a durable peace in Ukraine is inextricably linked to the removal of impunity for the Russian political elite. By specifically naming Putin in his address to the delegates, the Rada committee head aimed to challenge the diplomatic "normalization" of the Russian administration and to turn the IPU assembly into a mechanism for active judicial enforcement rather than mere parliamentary dialogue.

Challenging Non-ICC Member States to Act

In a significant diplomatic expansion of his argument, Merezhko extended his call for justice to nations that are not currently signatories to the Rome Statute. He proposed that even countries outside the formal jurisdiction of the ICC have an ethical responsibility to isolate and arrest individuals accused of systematic war crimes and genocide. This segment of his speech appeared directed at several influential IPU members from the Global South and the Middle East who have maintained neutral stances throughout the conflict. Merezhko maintained that a failure to act by these nations effectively provides a "safe haven" for those responsible for the destruction of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.