BRUSSELS, September 3 () –
The European Union on Tuesday criticised Mongolian authorities for failing to execute an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, thereby violating the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of which the Asian country is a party.
Putin’s trip to Ulaanbaatar represented a clear challenge to the ICC, as Mongolian authorities are supposed to execute the arrest warrant issued in March 2023 against the Russian leader for war crimes in Ukraine.
“The EU notes the visit of the President of Russia to Mongolia on 3 September, despite the arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC,” said a statement from the EU External Action Service, which emphasises Mongolia’s failure to comply with its obligations to the international court.
In this regard, European diplomacy “regrets” that Mongolia “has not complied with its obligations under the Rome Statute to execute the arrest warrant.”
Without going into the consequences of the Mongolian authorities’ actions, the EU Foreign Office said it “strongly supports” efforts to ensure accountability for war crimes in the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and insists on EU support for the investigations by the ICC Prosecutor, stressing the call to all States signed up to the Rome Statute to cooperate with the Hague-based court.
This is Putin’s first visit to Mongolia since 2019, but it is particularly significant mainly because the Russian president has not visited an ICC member state since the arrest warrant came into force. Under the Rome Statute, Mongolian authorities were obliged to comply with the warrant.
As a political gesture, Putin has invited his ally to attend the next meeting of BRICS leaders in Kazan, scheduled for December, as well as the Victory Day celebrations in 2025. Among the economic agreements signed is one to guarantee the supply of petroleum products, Russian official agencies report.
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