Putin Ignores Arrest Warrant and Enters Mongolia... "I Don't Care"

On the 2nd (local time), Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and is being guided.
[Image source=EPA·Yonhap News]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia, a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), for the first time since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him. Earlier, the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for President Putin on charges of war crimes and requested Mongolia, a member state, to cooperate in his arrest, but the Mongolian government refused. It is expected that during this visit, President Putin will mainly discuss economic issues such as the construction of a gas pipeline passing through Mongolia to connect to mainland China.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

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According to the Associated Press on the 2nd (local time), President Putin made a state visit to Mongolia. Arriving at Ulaanbaatar Airport around 11 p.m., he was welcomed with an honor guard dressed in traditional Mongolian attire and exchanged greetings with high-ranking Mongolian officials. Starting the official visit schedule the next day, President Putin held talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Kh?rels?kh and attended the 85th anniversary ceremony commemorating the joint victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the former Japanese forces at the Khalkhin Gol River.

President Putin's visit to Mongolia is presumed to be related to negotiations on establishing the second direct gas pipeline between Russia and China, the 'Power of Siberia-2' gas pipeline. According to CNBC, last month the Mongolian parliament excluded the project from government projects for the next four years due to a breakdown in negotiations between China and Russia. However, Russia, eager to increase gas exports to China, is trying to rekindle negotiations on the project.

Following news of President Putin's visit to Mongolia, the ICC and the Ukrainian government requested the Mongolian government, an ICC member, to cooperate in arresting President Putin. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Putin in March last year on charges of war crimes related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the forced displacement of Ukrainian children. Mongolia, as a signatory to the Rome Statute?the ICC's founding treaty?has an obligation to cooperate with the execution of ICC arrest warrants, but it deliberately ignored this and allowed President Putin's state visit, facing international criticism as a result.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

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The Ukrainian government strongly condemned Mongolia for neglecting its obligations as an ICC member. According to CNN, Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a statement on social media saying, "Mongolia's failure to detain President Putin is a major blow to the ICC and the international criminal justice system," adding, "By allowing the accused war criminal to evade trial, Mongolia bears joint responsibility for war crimes. Ukraine will coordinate with its allies to ensure Mongolia pays the price."

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) also issued a statement urging Mongolia to arrest President Putin. HRW pointed out, "If Mongolia allows President Putin's visit without arresting him, it is abandoning its international obligations as an ICC member."

However, considering Mongolia's heavy dependence on Russia, it seems unlikely that the Mongolian government will accept the requests from the ICC and the Ukrainian government. The New York Times (NYT) noted, "Mongolia is geopolitically sandwiched between China and Russia, making it important to maintain relations and balance between the two countries," and added, "Mongolia depends on Russia for 95% of its energy, including natural gas."

Russian authorities also showed a response indicating they are not concerned about arrest worries related to President Putin's visit to Mongolia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized at a press briefing, "There is no need to worry about (arrest). We will have excellent talks with our Mongolian friends."

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