Vladimir Putin begins official visit to Mongolia despite International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him

Vladimir Putin is in Mongolia on Tuesday, September 3, for an official visit, his first to a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the issuance of an arrest warrant against him. Arriving Monday evening in the capital Ulan Bator, the Russian president was greeted by the honor guard at the airport, without being arrested as he got off the plane.

Vladimir Putin has been the target of an arrest warrant since March 2023 for suspected illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Mongolia, a member of the ICC, was therefore required to arrest him, according to the Rome Statute that founded the Court. Many Western countries and human rights organizations have called for his arrest.

The spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Mongolia of “allowed the accused criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes”The Hague-based Court recalled last week that its member countries have the“obligation” to arrest individuals targeted by an arrest warrant. But in practice, when a member country does not fulfill its obligations towards the ICC, the latter can refer the matter to the Assembly of States Parties, whose possible sanctions are essentially limited to a verbal reprimand.

The Kremlin had assured on Friday that it had not “no worries” about a possible arrest of the Russian president. In the past, other individuals subject to an arrest warrant from the Court, such as former Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, have travelled to countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute without being disturbed.