Putin to Travel to Mongolia, an ICC Member, Despite Arrest Warrant

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Mongolia, a member of the International Criminal Court, despite an existing arrest warrant against him, raising diplomatic and legal concerns.

Despite Mongolia’s membership in the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for his arrest last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin will still visit the country next week.

Putin will be making his initial visit to an ICC member state on September 3, following the court’s issuance of the arrest warrant in March 2023. The warrant accused him of illegal deportation pertaining to Ukrainian children being transported to Russia and territory under Russian control.

According to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed no concerns about the visit on Friday.

According to Peskov, the invitee of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, “We are engaged in a great communication with our comrades from Mongolia.”

According to the Rome Statute, which is the foundational treaty of the court, ICC members are obligated to arrest suspects who have an outstanding warrant if they enter their territory. Nonetheless, there is no means for enforcement available to the court.

Ukraine requested Mongolia on Friday to detain Putin during his visit to the nation.

According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Ukraine wishes for the Mongolian government to be conscious of Vladimir Putin’s status as a war criminal. The Ukrainian side is urging Mongolia to fulfill their obligations under an international arrest warrant and take action accordingly.

The issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC against Putin marked its debut in apprehending a head of state from among the five permanent constituents on the UN Security Council.

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Since the warrant was issued, which he considers invalid, Putin has refrained from visiting any ICC member countries. He did not attend a summit of developing economies’ BRICS bloc in Johannesburg last year involving Brazil,Russia, India, China and South Africa.

For several months, South Africa – an ICC member – engaged in lobbying efforts with Moscow to prevent Putin from attending and causing any potential negative diplomatic consequences. They ultimately declared that a “mutual agreement” had been reached wherein the regular BRICS meeting would not include his attendance.

During a videolink session, Putin participated and launched an aggressive verbal attack on the West.

Last year, Armenia’s decision to join the ICC further strained the relationship between Russia and its longtime ally.

Armenian authorities promptly attempted to allay Russia’s concerns about Putin being detained upon his arrival in the nation.

The Rome Statute was signed by Mongolia in 2000 and subsequently ratified in 2002.

Putin is set to engage in discussions with Khurelsukh and other high-ranking figures from Mongolia, taking part in “formal occasions commemorating the 85th anniversary of the collective triumph of Soviet and Mongolian military forces against Japanese militarists on Khalkhin Gol River.” The Kremlin made this announcement.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies