The Kremlin says it is not worried that Mongolia might detain Putin during his visit

Moscow speaks of “excellent dialogue” with Mongolia and says the trip to the ICC member country was “carefully” prepared

Aug. 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Kremlin said Friday it was not concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be arrested during an official visit to Mongolia next week, following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him over his invasion of Ukraine.

“No, there are no concerns,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about this possibility, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. “We have an excellent dialogue with our friends from Mongolia,” he said.

He stressed that “all aspects of the visit have been carefully prepared” in view of Putin’s trip, who will travel to Ulan Bator on September 3 to participate in the events commemorating the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet and Mongolian troops over Japan.

Mongolia would be obliged to arrest Putin upon his arrival in the country as it is a member state of the ICC. The country completed its accession to the court in April 2022 and is therefore theoretically obliged to abide by the rulings of this court based in The Hague.

Putin has been the subject of an arrest warrant since March 2023 in connection with the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, considered a potential war crime. The court also requested the arrest of the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Alekseievna Lvova-Belova, while this year it requested the arrest of former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Valeri Gerasimov.