In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Mongolia’s President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh walk past honour guards during an official welcoming ceremony in Ulaanbaatar on September 3, 2024.
Sofia Sandurskaya | Afp | Getty Images
There’s nothing remarkable about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mongolia on Tuesday — he’s due to meet the country’s leader, hold talks on developing bilateral ties and attend a gala reception.
What is unusual is that Mongolia, as a member of the International Criminal Court, should have arrested the Russian president as soon as he landed on Mongolian soil Monday evening.
Putin is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the ICC in March 2023. The court alleged that he is responsible for war crimes, with a particular focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
At the time, the Kremlin described the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable” and said they had no effect on Russia, …