Putin to visit Mongolia despite ICC arrest warrant
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children will travel to Mongolia on Tuesday.
As an ICC member state, Mongolia is obligated to arrest him upon his arrival, according to AFP.
"Putin will make an official visit to Mongolia on September 3," the Kremlin announced in a statement on Thursday.
This will mark the first trip by the Russian president to a signatory state of the Rome Statute since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023.
Mongolia signed and ratified the Rome Statute in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
Thus, each ICC member state is required to detain anyone on its territory who is subject to an ICC arrest warrant, as is the case with Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin has consistently and firmly rejected the ICC's accusations against the Russian president.
However, Putin has been careful to avoid travelling abroad for almost a year and a half, skipping the BRICS summit in South Africa in August 2023 and the G20 summit in India in September of the same year.
Conversely, he visited China in May, North Korea in June, and Azerbaijan in mid-August, but none of these countries are ICC members.
In Mongolia, the Russian head of state is travelling "at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh," according to the Kremlin, "to participate in the 85th anniversary celebration of the joint victory of Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over Japanese militarists" in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol.
The two leaders have scheduled meetings and "will discuss the prospects for developing Russo-Mongolian relations," the Kremlin said.
Vladimir Putin and Ukhnaa Khurelsukh "will exchange views on current international and regional issues," the Russian presidency added, noting that "a series of bilateral documents" will be signed on this occasion.
The Russian president's last visit to Mongolia was in September 2019.
Mongolia, rich in natural resources, is located in East Asia between Russia and China, without a sea outlet, and has a vast territory. However, it has only 3.4 million inhabitants.
In early August, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar to present himself as a "central partner" of Washington in the region. The visit was part of a declared U.S. initiative to increase its influence in this vast country, which is also sought after by Washington's rivals, Russia and China.
French President Emmanuel Macron also visited Mongolia in May 2023, with Paris aiming to strengthen bilateral energy relations.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
