Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Mongolia on an official visit. This is his first trip since 2023 to any country that has signed the Rome Statute and recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin on suspicion of war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's plane landed in Ulaanbaatar on Monday evening. There he was met by an honor guard, and the red carpet, the BBC reports.
The head of Russia is visiting Mongolia at the invitation of the country's president Uhnaagiin Khurelsuh, who offered this during a meeting in Beijing in autumn 2023.
Immediately after Putin's arrival in Ulaanbaatar, the official representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgy Tikhiy, condemned the decision of the Mongolian authorities not to arrest the Russian president on an ICC warrant.
The court claims that Putin is responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia after the start of a full-scale invasion.
“The failure of the Mongolian government to comply with the mandatory ICC arrest warrant for Putin is a heavy blow to the International Criminal Court and the international criminal law system,” - said the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in a statement published on his telegram channel. Mongolia allowed the accused criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes. We will work with our partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar”.
What did the ICC say about this?
At the end of last week, ICC spokesman Dr. Fadi El-Abdullah, in a conversation with the BBC, said that the member countries of the court “have an obligation to cooperate in accordance with Chapter IX of the Rome Statute”.
This agreement contains a clause that Member States may be released from their obligations if their performance forces them to “violate a pre-existing contractual obligation” towards another State or violate the diplomatic inviolability of representatives or property of a third country.
The ICC spokesman clarified that cases of “non-cooperation” on the part of the signatory states will be studied in detail, after which the Assembly, consisting of all participating countries, can “take (against violators) any measures it deems necessary”.
The ICC does not have its own law enforcement agencies. Suspects are arrested by its member countries on their territory, which requires the appropriate will of the authorities of these States.
In 2023, Putin did not go to South Africa (this country also ratified the Rome Statute), where he was invited to the BRICS summit. As reported, the President of South Africa specifically asked him to do this.
Putin has been traveling abroad less frequently since the beginning of the war, and all the countries where he has been since the issuance of the arrest warrant do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. In contrast, Mongolia completed the accession process in 2002.
Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities called on Mongolia to arrest Putin during his visit and transfer him to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Peskov said that the Kremlin was not worried about the visit, and all its details “were carefully prepared”.
What will Putin do in Mongolia
According to TASS, Putin will take part in the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the victory of Soviet troops over Japan in 1939 in the battle of the Khalkin Gol River in Mongolia.
The last time the Russian president visited this country was five years ago, and then he also took part in ceremonies on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Halkin Gol.
Putin will also meet with the President of Mongolia, and representatives of the governments of the two countries will sign several bilateral documents.
The Presidents of Russia and Mongolia also intend to lay flowers at the monument to Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who commanded Soviet and Mongolian troops during the Battle of Khalkin Gol.
Руcский
