The hosts presented soldiers in traditional uniforms and on horseback, among others, in the capital’s central square on Tuesday. It is Putin’s first visit to an ICC member state since the arrest warrant was issued against him in March 2023.
Mongolia signed the Rome Statute of the ICC (or ICC/International Criminal Court) in 2000 and ratified it in 2002. The basis of the court is that contracting states arrest suspects against whom an ICC arrest warrant has been issued. The Kremlin had announced in advance of the trip that Putin was “not worried” about a possible arrest in Mongolia.
Putin landed in Ulan Bator on Monday evening. After the pompous official reception ceremony, he wanted to take part in the celebrations marking the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet and Mongolian forces over Japan on Tuesday.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March 2023. There were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the Russian ruler “bear responsibility for the war crime of the illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russia, the court said at the time. The government in Kyiv accuses the Russian authorities of having brought thousands of children from children’s homes and other state institutions to Russia from the Ukrainian territories under its control. In total, ICC arrest warrants were issued against top Russian officials for the Ukraine war, including the now-resigned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
