The Kremlin said Friday that it was not concerned about authorities in Mongolia arresting President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Asian country next week, even though it would technically be required to do so after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest last March.
Putin will travel to Mongolia on Tuesday, his first trip to an ICC member state since The Hague-based court issued a warrant for his arrest over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
“There are no worries, we have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
Asked if Moscow had discussed the arrest warrant with Ulaanbaatar ahead of Putin’s trip, Peskov said that “all aspects of the visit were carefully prepared.”
Mongolia is among the signatories of the Rome Statute, the treaty governing the ICC, making it technically bound to comply with the court’s demands.
Ulaanbaatar, a longtime ally of Moscow, has maintained a neutral stance on the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, making it unlikely that Ulaanbaatar would detain Putin.
A similar situation occurred last year when South Africa, which is also a Rome Statute signatory, sought an exemption to allow the Russian leader to attend a BRICS summit. Putin ultimately chose to skip the event.
AFP contributed reporting.
