It's not about possible arrest: diplomat Chaly explains why Putin will not visit Erdogan's inauguration

Russian President Vladimir Putin's absence from Recep Erdogan's inauguration has nothing to do with fear of arrest, as Turkey has not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Valeriy Chaly, a former Ukrainian ambassador to the USA, shared this insight with Radio Svoboda.

Chaly stated, "I believe Putin doesn't want to leave Russia. His apprehension is not only based on the common assumption that he might be arrested by the ICC. No, Turkey has not ratified the ICC statute, and it will not enforce such actions on its territory, without a doubt. This is a certainty. Therefore, arrest fears are not the reason for his reluctance. He is afraid to leave Russia in general. The last time, if I'm not mistaken, was December 19 last year."

• Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin will attend the inauguration of re-elected Turkish President Recep Erdogan instead of Putin.

• On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children.