Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday for a state visit, marking his first trip to a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023. The warrant, stemming from allegations of war crimes in Ukraine, has placed Mongolia in a delicate diplomatic position.

As an ICC member state, Mongolia is technically obligated to detain Putin. However, the country’s heavy reliance on Russia for fuel and electricity complicates the situation. The visit has drawn international attention, with Ukraine calling on Mongolia to hand Putin over to the court in The Hague, and the European Union expressing concern about the potential non-execution of the warrant.

Despite these pressures, Putin was welcomed with full ceremonial honors in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. He participated in a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of a joint Soviet-Mongolian victory over Japanese forces in 1939. The visit also includes talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and other officials.

Mongolia risks prosecution but no serious repercussions if it fails to arrest the Russian leader, according to Tamás Hoffmann, senior research fellow at the Institute for Legal Studies who spoke to Politico.

“Mongolia will most certainly be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court for breaching its duty of cooperation,” Hoffmann said.

“The ICC may then decide to refer the case to the Assembly of Parties, which could condemn Mongolia’s violation under a so-called non-compliance procedure. However, there are no serious consequences, such as sanctions, for the offending country,” he added.

South Africa faced a similar issue last year when it hosted the BRICS summit in Johannesburg — less than a decade after it failed to arrest Sudanese dictator Omar Al-Bashir. It sought to avoid another controversy and lobbied for the Russian leader not to fly in. Putin ended up attending the summit virtually. 

Also read: Putin to Be Arrested by the ICC If He Goes to South Africa for BRICS Summit

But this has not been the case with Mongolia. The Kremlin has dismissed concerns about the trip, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating last week that they have “no worries” about the visit. Russia says it does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction and has called the arrest warrant “null and void.”

This visit is part of Putin’s recent efforts to counter international isolation resulting from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He has made similar trips to China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan in recent months.

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