Russian dictator Vladimir Putin landed in Mongolia on Monday (2) in open defiance of an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute.
This was Putin’s first official trip to a country that accepts the ICC’s jurisdiction since the arrest warrant was issued, following a request made by the agency’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who accuses the Russian dictator of illegally taking Ukrainian children who were living in territories occupied by Russian forces in the neighboring country to his country.
Images released on Tuesday (3) by international news agencies show Putin meeting with the president of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, which indicates that the Russian dictator is already staying in the country, where he is expected to hold several meetings and discuss cooperation agreements.
“I am very pleased to be in Mongolia, which is very friendly to us,” Putin reportedly said during one of the meetings with President Khürelsükh, according to the Russian state agency. TASS. “For decades, Russia and Mongolia have maintained very close and friendly relations,” the dictator said, adding that “today, these relations are developing successfully.”
Putin’s move represents a clear challenge to the ICC, considering that Mongolia is one of the countries that ratified the Rome Statute, which serves as the legal basis for the international court’s work.
Despite the arrest warrant, the Kremlin has from the beginning expressed confidence that Putin would not be detained during his visit to Mongolia. Russian regime spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday (30) that Russia was not worried about Putin’s possible arrest because it had a “dialogue with our friends in Mongolia” and that “all aspects of the visit [de Putin] were meticulously prepared.”
Mongolia, which acceded to the Rome Statute in 2000 and ratified its accession in 2002, is technically obliged to cooperate with the ICC, which would include detaining individuals wanted by the court, such as the Russian dictator.
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