Mongolia declines to arrest Vladimir Putin during his visit despite ICC warrant

Members of the International Criminal Court are treaty bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued, but the court doesn’t have any enforcement mechanism.

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 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The official visit flies in the face of an international warrant for Putin’s arrest on war crimes charges that was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) nearly 18 months ago. It is Putin’s first trip to a member of the court since the warrant was handed down.

Members of the international court are bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued, but the court doesn’t have any enforcement mechanism.

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.

The Russian leader was welcomed in a ceremony in the Mongolian capital, Ulaan Bator, by an honor 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.

Putin will join a ceremony to mark the 85th anniversary of a Soviet and Mongolian battle victory over a Japanese army that had taken control of Manchuria in northeastern China.