The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on 17 March 2023 over the “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children.
Putin in now in Mongolia who are a member of the ICC and are refusing to honour the arrest warrant which is a “heavy blow” for the international court.
Mongolia became a signatory of the Rome Treaty of the ICC in 2000, Ulaanbaatar (capital city) was told last week they have a legal “obligation” to detain anyone wanted by the court.
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had “great dialogue” with Mongolia and “all aspects of the visit were carefully prepared.”
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Putin is visiting the Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh to mark the 85th anniversary of Mongolian and Soviet forces victory against Japan, the Kyiv post reports.
Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Tykhyi said this is a “heavy blow to the [ICC] and the international criminal justice system,” in Mongolia failing to arrest Putin.
He added, “Mongolia allowed the indicted criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes. We will work with partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar.”
Tass reports that the Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned the ICC to think twice before they execute the warrant on Putin and declared the arrest warrant is “legally null and void.”
Medvedev wrote on Telegram commenting on the EU’s statement regarding Putin’s visit to Mongolia, “The Mongolians have ignored the ICC and the European politicians.
“If I were a judge or prosecutor of this so-called court, I would be afraid that some fool would carry out their illegal order. In that case, their lives would be worth no more than that <…> piece of paper.”
