Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia on Tuesday, and there was no indication that Mongolia would comply with calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This trip marks Putin’s first visit to a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the court issued the warrant about 18 months ago. Before his visit, Ukraine had urged 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 indicated last week that the Kremlin was not concerned about the situation.
The warrant places the Mongolian government in a challenging position. After years of communist rule with close ties to the Soviet Union, Mongolia transitioned to democracy in the 1990s and has developed relations with the United States, Japan, and other new partners. However, it remains economically dependent on its larger neighbors, Russia and China, with Russia supplying most of Mongolia’s fuel and a significant amount of its electricity.
The ICC has charged Putin with responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine, where fighting has continued for more than two years. According to the court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, member countries are required to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued. Nonetheless, Mongolia needs to maintain good relations with Russia, and the court lacks enforcement mechanisms for its warrants.
Genghis Khan-style honor guard for Putin in Ulaanbaatar
In Ulaanbaatar, the capital, Putin was welcomed in the main square by an honor guard in vivid red and blue uniforms inspired by the personal guard of 13th-century ruler Genghis Khan. Putin and Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa ascended the red-carpeted steps of the Government Palace, bowed before a statue of Genghis Khan, and then entered the building for their meetings.
A small group of protesters who attempted to display a Ukrainian flag before the ceremony were removed by police.
The two governments signed agreements for a feasibility study and the design of an upgrade to a power plant in Ulaanbaatar, as well as ensuring the continuous supply of aviation fuel to Mongolia. Putin also discussed plans to develop the rail system between the two countries.
Putin extended an invitation to the Mongolian president to attend a BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in late October. Khurelsukh accepted the invitation, as reported by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
On Monday, the EU voiced concern that the ICC warrant might not be executed and stated that it had shared its concerns with Mongolian authorities. European Commission spokesperson Nabila Massrali mentioned that while Mongolia has the right to develop its international relations according to its own interests, it is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC since 2002 and thus has legal obligations.
Over 50 Russians living abroad signed an open letter urging the Mongolian government to “immediately detain Vladimir Putin upon his arrival.” The signatories include Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was released from a Russian prison in August in a significant East-West prisoner swap.
Putin attempting to counter isolation
On his first visit to Mongolia in five years, Putin is set to attend a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the joint Soviet and Mongolian victory over Japan’s army, which had controlled Manchuria in northeast China. The battle in 1939 saw thousands of soldiers on both sides die over months of fighting concerning the border between Manchuria and Mongolia.
Recently, Putin has undertaken several international trips to counter the isolation resulting from the Ukraine invasion. He visited China in May, traveled to North Korea and Vietnam in June, and attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Kazakhstan in July.
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Kenneth Roth, former director of Human Rights Watch, described Putin’s trip to Mongolia as “a sign of weakness,” noting that the Russian leader could only manage a visit to a country with a small population living in Russia’s shadow.
Last year, Putin participated in a BRICS summit via video link after South Africa, an ICC member, lobbied against his attendance. South Africa faced criticism from activists and its main opposition party in 2015 when it did not arrest then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during his visit.
Mongolia’s dependance on Russia & China
Mongolia, a sparsely populated nation situated between Russia and China, relies significantly on Russia for fuel and electricity and on China for investment in its mining sector.
During the Soviet era, Mongolia was under Moscow’s influence. Since the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, it has worked to maintain amicable relations with both the Kremlin and Beijing.
Prior to the visit, Putin highlighted several “promising economic and industrial projects” between the two countries in an interview with the Mongolian newspaper Unuudur, as shared by the Kremlin.
For nearly 70 years, Mongolia was closely allied with the Soviet Union. However, the fall of communism and the subsequent geopolitical shift in the post-Cold War era compelled the country to change its economic and political relationships.
As a result, Mongolia became the only former communist state in Asia to adopt a democratic political system and an open economy. This shift earned the country recognition and favor from the U.S. and other Western nations, which saw Mongolia as a model for the region.
The visit by Putin is the latest in a series of recent high-profile state visits as Mongolia aims to maintain strong ties with its neighbors while also broadening its partnerships with other countries.
In 2024 alone, Mongolia has welcomed heads of state or foreign ministers from the U.S., Slovenia, the Philippines, Belarus, the United Kingdom, and Germany. In 2023, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene visited the U.S. to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, and traveled to China to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
Recent visits to Ulaanbaatar have also included French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis.
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