FOCUS on Mongolia’s Failure to Arrest Putin

FOCUS on Mongolia’s Failure to Arrest Putin

Catherine Anderson

Staff Writer

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia, defying the warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), on September 3. Member states of the ICC are required to arrest suspects if a warrant has been issued, but Mongolia, which is economically dependent on Russia, instead welcomed Putin to its capital, Ulaanbaatar, in an elaborate ceremony, The Associated Press reports. The failure to arrest Putin drew criticism from both the United States State Department and the European Commission, whose spokespeople said that Mongolia, despite its dependence on Russia, had a legal obligation to detain Putin, The Associated Press writes. Members of the Ukrainian Parliament had also written a letter to Mongolian lawmakers, urging them to honor the warrant, ABC News reports.

Putin is accused by the ICC of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Although Mongolia has been a member state of the ICC since 2022, it has no enforcement mechanism by which it could coerce Mongolia to honor the warrant, The Associated Press says. Prior to the visit, the Kremlin said that it was not worried about a potential arrest, and further called the warrant “politically motivated,” Nikkei Asia reports. 

Putin’s visit marked his first to an ICC member country since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. Mongolia is also a signatory to the Rome Statute, which affirms the authority of the ICC. ABC News writes that this was also Putin’s first visit to a signatory to the Rome Statute since the war began after he declined to visit South Africa last year for a BRICS summit, writes ABC News. 

Some experts argue that it was clear that Mongolia was never going to arrest Putin, given its economic dependency on Russia. In fact, not only did Mongolia decline to arrest Putin, but it has refrained entirely from condemning the war and has abstained from voting on the issue at the United Nations, Al Jazeera writes. While Kremlin spokespeople maintained that the visit was purely to strengthen bilateral ties between the countries, others claim that the primary purpose was to showcase that Putin can still travel outside of Russia without facing the consequences of the war, The Associated Press writes. 

The international displeasure with Mongolia demonstrates tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine and Putin but also demonstrates the difficult position of countries like Mongolia. Despite calls from international organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Mongolia likely could not have risked its relationship with Russia. As Politico reports, Mongolia’s hands were, to an extent, tied. It imports 95 percent of its petroleum products and over 20 percent of its electricity from its neighbor. Without this energy, as a spokesperson told Politico, Mongolia’s people would face serious difficulties.

Additionally, while he was in Mongolia, Putin, and President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa signed an agreement to design and study the possibility of an upgrade to the power plant in Mongolia’s capital, which would ensure the availability of Russian aviation fuel in Mongolia, reports Al Jazeera.

The deal is perhaps indicative of the strengthening of ties between the two. Ukhnaa also accepted Putin’s invitation to an upcoming BRICS summit, which includes both Russia and China. Mongolia also depends heavily on China, especially for its mining industry, reports Al Jazeera. 

While Mongolia’s improving relationship with Russia and China may lead to criticism from the West, it would be geographically complicated for Mongolia to try and sever its ties, as it lies between the two countries, both of which are significantly larger and more powerful. Tension over the decision came not just internationally, but from within Mongolia as well. In the days leading up to Putin’s visit, the country saw protests that called for Mongolia to “‘Get War Criminal Putin out of Here,’” BBC News writes. Protesters at the scene of Putin’s arrival were also detained and prevented from coming near the Russian president, The Associated Press says.

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