The Kremlin has brushed aside concerns regarding Putin’s upcoming trip to Mongolia, despite the possibility of his arrest under a criminal court warrant.
“We have no concerns, our dialogue with Mongolia is excellent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, according to the Moscow Times. He added that “all aspects of the visit were meticulously planned.”
The attention on Putin’s latest trip stems from the fact that Mongolia is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which in March 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Putin has diligently avoided visiting countries that are signatories of the Rome Statute, which would subject him to arrest. Russia – alongside other prominent nations such as the U.S., China, India, and Israel – are not signatories and thus not answerable to the ICC. However, any visit to a Rome Statute signatory would put Putin at risk of arrest.
The concern came to the forefront during his planned trip to South Africa to attend a BRICS summit: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attempted to sidestep the issue, reiterating Russia’s declaration that an arrest would be tantamount to “a declaration of war.”
“It would be incompatible with our Constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia,” Ramaphosa said at the time.
Ultimately, Putin opted not to attend the BRICS conference in person, sending his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in his stead.
Now, Putin plans to visit Mongolia – a Rome Statute signatory – on Sept. 3 at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, to commemorate the 85th anniversary of a joint military victory over Japanese forces.
The two leaders will also hold discussions about developing “comprehensive strategic partnerships” and sign “a number of bilateral documents,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
Ukraine responded to the news of Putin’s visit by urging Mongolian officials to uphold their ICC commitments and execute the arrest warrant.
In a statement, Ukraine referred to Putin as a war criminal and emphasized that kidnapping children is merely “one of the many crimes” that Putin has committed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“These individuals are guilty of an aggressive war against Ukraine, atrocities against the Ukrainian people,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on Telegram.
“We urge the Mongolian authorities to execute the mandatory international arrest warrant and hand over Putin to the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” the ministry added.