Officially Recognized Arrival of Putin in Mongolia Amidst Existing ICC Warrant for Arrest
Vladimir Putin touched down in Ulan Bator on a Monday night. Following the formal reception ceremony, his agenda included taking part in the festivities on the next day, commemorating the 85th anniversary of the triumph of the Soviet and Mongolian troops over Japan.
Mongolia stepped into the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2000 and ratified it in 2002. This agreement binds signatory nations to apprehend individuals with an ICC arrest warrant issued against them. Before embarking on the trip, the Kremlin maintained that Putin had no apprehensions regarding a potential arrest in Mongolia.
The ICC issued an arrest order for Putin in March 2023. The court reported that there existed "sufficient proof" to implicate the Russian leader in the war crime of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Ukrainian authorities allege that Russian officials compulsorily transferred thousands of children from Ukrainian orphanages and various state-run institutions to Russia.
Despite the ICC's arrest order for Putin, other world leaders decided to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Ulan Bator, showing solidarity with Russia. However, some critics argued that supporting Putin in this manner could be perceived as disregarding the seriousness of the allegations against him.
