Mongolia rolls out red carpet for Putin despite war crimes accusations

ULAANBAATAR: Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by honour guards and red carpets in the Mongolian capital on Tuesday on his first visit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member since it issued a warrant for his arrest last year.

Putin landed in Ulaanbaatar on Monday night at the start of a high-profile trip seen as a show of defiance against the court, Kyiv, the West and rights groups that have all called for him to be detained.

He met Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Tuesday at Ulaanbaatar’s imposing Genghis Khan Square, also known as Sukhbaatar Square, where a band played martial tunes and both national anthems.

The Russian leader praised Mongolia’s “respectful attitude” and told Khurelsukh the two nations had “close positions” on “many current international issues”.

Putin is wanted by the Hague-based ICC for the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children since his troops invaded the country in 2022.

Ukraine has reacted furiously to the trip, accusing Mongolia of “sharing responsibility” for Putin’s “war crimes” after authorities did not detain him at the airport.

“Today, Putin humiliated Mongolia by cynically using it as a bargaining chip in his geopolitical game,” Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on social media platform X.

“By refusing to arrest Putin, Mongolia has deliberately jeopardized its international standing,” he said.

The ICC said last week all its members had an “obligation” to detain those sought by the court.

In practice, there is little that can be done if Ulaanbaatar does not comply.

A vibrant democracy situated between authoritarian giants Russia and China, Mongolia enjoys close cultural links to Moscow as well as a critical trading relationship with Beijing.

On the streets of Ulaanbaatar, Altanbayar Altankhuyag, a 26-year-old economist, told AFP it would have been “immoral and improper” to arrest Putin.

“China and Russia both are very important to us as neighbours,” he said.

Mongolia was under Moscow’s sway during the Soviet era but has sought to keep friendly relations with both the Kremlin and Beijing since the Soviet collapse in 1991.