Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday, marking his first visit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member state since being indicted for war crimes last year.
This trip has drawn international attention due to Mongolia’s ICC membership. An open letter from the Antiwar Human Rights Coalition urged the Mongolian government to arrest Putin, citing its obligations under international law.
Putin was welcomed with traditional Mongolian honors at Ulaanbaatar airport, including a guard in national dress and high-ranking Mongolian officials. The visit comes at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the joint Mongolian-Soviet victory over Japanese forces at Khalkhin Gol.
The two-day visit includes bilateral meetings and document signings, highlighting the strategic importance of Mongolia, which borders both Russia and China. Putin is scheduled to lay flowers at a monument to Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov.
Putin’s travel choices have been limited since the ICC warrant, with a notable absence from the BRICS summit in South Africa last August. However, he has made trips to non-ICC countries, including North Korea, Vietnam, and China.
Meanwhile, ahead of his visit to Mongolia, Putin met with school students in Kyzyl, the capital of Russia’s Siberian region of Tuva and which borders Mongolia.
He extolled military values and said that the Russian army is now taking back control of territories in special operations against Ukraine . He also spoke of the importance of a new compulsory school course, “Basics of Security and Defence of the Motherland,” which he said would put military preparation for children “on a systemic basis.”
According to Putin, as reported by TASS, the Ukrainian provocation is doomed to fail, and after it does, Russia’s opponents “will have a true desire — not in words, but in deeds — to move to peaceful negotiations and settle these issues peacefully.”
(Inputs from ANI)