Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to travel abroad despite the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Putin is scheduled to visit Mongolia on Tuesday, September 3.
As a country that recognizes the ICC’s authority, Mongolia is technically obligated to enforce the arrest warrant issued in March 2023.
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But Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the threat of arrest, saying on Friday: “We are not worried. We maintain a wonderful dialogue with our friends in Mongolia.”
This would be Putin’s first visit to an ICC member state since he launched his full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. He notably avoided attending a BRICS summit in South Africa in 2023.
When asked if the arrest warrant had posed any issues in planning the trip to Mongolia, Peskov confirmed that it had.
“Of course, all aspects of the visit were meticulously prepared,” he said, according to local media.
The Kremlin stated that Putin is visiting Mongolia at the invitation of President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
Mongolia has aimed to maintain strong relationships with both its influential neighbors, China and Russia, while also keeping connections with the West.
Given its economic reliance on Russia, it is deemed unlikely that Mongolia would jeopardize its relations by arresting Putin.
The ICC accuses Putin of being responsible for the abduction and deportation of children and minors from Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine to Russia.
Moscow describes these incidents as evacuations.
