Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived yesterday for an official visit to Mongolia, which, as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is obligated to arrest him under the court’s warrant.
The official visit, during which Putin will meet with Mongolian leader Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh today, Tuesday, is Putin’s first visit to an ICC member country since a warrant for his arrest was issued almost 18 months ago on charges of war crimes in Ukraine.
Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Putin and extradite him to the court in The Hague.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week that the Kremlin is not concerned about this.
Members of the ICC are required to detain suspects if a warrant has been issued, but the Court has no mechanism to enforce this obligation.
Today, Putin and the Mongolian leader will attend a celebration of the victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the Japanese army in 1939.
Mongolia, a sparsely populated country between Russia and China, depends heavily on Russia for fuel and electricity, and on China for investment in its mining industry.
Although Putin has faced international isolation over his invasion of Ukraine, he visited North Korea and Vietnam last month and has visited China twice in the past year.
