Russian prez visits Mongolia, defying int’l arrest warrant

Mongolia’s President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at an official welcoming ceremony

Russian President Vladimir Putin was visiting Mongolia on Tuesday with no sign that the host country would bow to calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes stemming from the invasion of Ukraine.

The trip is Putin's first to a member country of the International Criminal Court since it issued a warrant for his arrest about 18 months ago. Ahead of his visit, Ukraine called on Mongolia to hand Putin over to the court in The Hague, and the European Union expressed concern that Mongolia might not execute the warrant. A spokesperson for Putin said last week that the Kremlin wasn't worried.

His visit puts Mongolia in a tough spot. Members of the international court are bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued, but Mongolia is a landlocked country highly dependent on Russia for fuel and some of its electricity. The court doesn't have a mechanism to enforce its warrants.

The Russian leader was welcomed in a ceremony in the capital city's main square by an honour guard dressed in vivid red and blue uniforms styled on those of the personal guard of 13th century ruler Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire.

He and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh walked up the red-carpeted steps of the Government Palace and bowed before a statue of Genghis Khan before entering the government building for their meetings. The International Criminal Court has accused Putin of being responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine, where the fighting has raged for 2½ years.

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