Ukraine Calls on Mongolia to Arrest Putin During Visit

Ukraine has urged Mongolia to comply with the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes. The call came as Putin is scheduled to visit Mongolia next week. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that they expect the Mongolian government to be aware of Putin’s status as a war criminal. They appealed to Mongolian authorities to execute the binding international arrest warrant. The Kremlin, however, has downplayed concerns about Putin’s possible arrest, claiming that there are no worries and that they maintain a positive dialogue with Mongolian friends. Putin’s visit to Mongolia will mark his first trip to a signatory of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, since the court issued the arrest warrant in March 2023. The warrant accuses Putin of the ‘deportation’ of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, charges that the Kremlin denies. The Rome Statute stipulates that member states must take necessary measures for the arrest of individuals subject to warrants and bring them to the competent judicial authority. Mongolia, situated between Russia and China, ratified the Rome Statute in 2002.