West, ICC want Putin arrested but Mongolia rolls out red carpet for Russian president

Despite an international arrest warrant chasing him, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia on Tuesday to a red carpet welcome.

Putin arrived in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar on Monday night and was welcomed by honour guards and red carpets at the tarmac. This is his first visit to a member-state of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the court last year issued an arrest warrant against him in relation to the war on Ukraine.

The visit is a show of defiance by Putin against Ukraine, the ICC, and the West, who have all called for Mongolia to detain him. The visit also shows Putin and Russia’s acceptance among the developing nations that have broken ranks with the West in their perception of the Ukraine War

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🛬 President of Russia Vladimir #Putin arrives in Mongolia on an official visit.

📍 Ulaanbaatar, September 2, 2024#RussiaMongolia 🇷🇺🇲🇳 pic.twitter.com/5S3fDnswN9

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 2, 2024

Following his arrival in Ulaanbaatar, Putin met President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Tuesday at Genghis Khan Square, which is also known as the Sükhbaatar Square. An honour guard in traditional Mongolian martial attire on horseback was present as a band played martial tunes and the national anthem of the two countries. Visuals of the proceedings were shared by media.

Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh met Putin in Ulaanbaatar - Kremlin Pool

A guard of honor and cavalry escort lined up at Sükhbaatar Square during the ceremony.

Earlier, Mongolia refused to arrest Putin on an ICC warrant despite the fact that the country has ratified… pic.twitter.com/GsEKi8VWcC

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 3, 2024

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Last year, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine in the ongoing war. Mongolia is a member of the ICC but there is little that can be done if it decides to not execute the warrant.

Mongolia is a democracy sandwiched between Russia and China. It has close cultural links with Russia and a critical trade partnership with China. It has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has abstained from votes on the conflict in the United Nations (UN)>

Putin’s visit to Mongolia comes as the two nations mark the 85th anniversary of a victory by Mongolian and Soviet forces over Imperial Japan.

Putin pointed to a number of “promising economic and industrial projects” between the two countries in an interview shared by the Kremlin, as per AFP.

Those projects included the construction of the Trans-Mongolian gas pipeline linking China and Russia, said Putin.

Putin also said he was “interested in pursuing substantive work” towards a trilateral summit between himself, Mongolian and Chinese leaders, as per the AFP.