Putin visited Mongolia under arrest warrant
Last Updated on September 4, 2024 7:19 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin went to Mongolia within the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. He reached the country’s capital Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday. Putin visited an ICC member country for the first time after the arrest warrant was issued on March 17 last year. News from Al Jazeera, New York Times.
Russian state media reported that the plane carrying Putin had landed in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in 2023 for illegally transporting Ukrainian children to Russia.
Generally, under the Rome Convention, those against whom an arrest warrant has been issued face arrest if they set foot in any ICC member state. However, the court cannot force any country to do so. Despite being a member of the ICC, Ulaanbaatar did not comply with the arrest warrant for Putin, but the court has little to do.
Meanwhile, the ICC, Ukraine, some Western countries and various human rights organizations have called on Mongolia to arrest Putin. But Mongolia gave Putin a warm welcome when he arrived in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
The flags of the two countries were hoisted at Genghis Khan Square in the capital as a symbol of friendship. A few people protested the day before Putin’s visit began. The placards they were holding read ‘Drive out war criminal Putin’.
Ukraine has also called on Mongolia to arrest Putin during his visit. But Mongolia never took a stand against Russia. In addition to refraining from criticizing the Russian campaign, it also abstained from voting against Moscow at the United Nations. “Putin is a criminal,” said Altantua Batdorj, executive director of Amnesty International Mongolia. If any member of the ICC can visit the country safely, his aggressive attitude will increase further.
Members of the ICC are committed to prosecuting anyone with an arrest warrant. However, the organization does not have the ability to force any country to comply with this condition. A spokesman for Putin said last week that the Kremlin does not believe the Russian president should fear arrest during his visit. Because since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has maintained good relations with Beijing and Moscow.
Meanwhile, Putin warned Ukraine on Monday before his visit to Mongolia. He commented that it is not possible to stop Russia. He made this comment while addressing students at an event in Siberia on Monday. Putin also said his country’s troops were advancing toward eastern Ukraine. This incident proves that the penetration of the Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia is failing.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, they have captured three villages in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine. The villages are Novozelen between the cities of Donetsk and Pokrovsk, Sinkivka in Kharkiv region and Kostiantynivka in Donetsk. On Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the occupation of another village in eastern Donetsk region.
On the other hand, Ukrainian troops have penetrated a lot inside Russia. On August 6 of this year, Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region of Russia. In the meantime, they have occupied more than 1,300 km of the region. Ukrainian flags are hung in various places. It was the first such attack on Russian soil since World War II. Ukraine was very excited about this incident.
According to the country, the aim of their attack was to expel Russian forces from eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Russia will understand what revenge is.” They wanted to destroy us. But what Russia wanted to (occupy) our territory is now back in their own territory. Now let’s understand what they actually did. Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals.’ Describing the territories seized from Russia as ‘exchange funds’, he said they could be exchanged for territories occupied by Moscow in Ukraine.