Tensions between Ukraine and Mongolia escalated following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Ulaanbaatar, marking his first trip to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member state since the court issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has voiced strong discontent, threatening Mongolia with “consequences” for its failure to detain Putin, whom they accuse of war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of children from occupied Ukrainian territories. As the ICC relies on member states to enforce its warrants, Mongolia's decision raises questions about international accountability and the integrity of global justice systems.
They were hoping that the Mongolian government would hand Putin over to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Putin’s visit to Mongolia is his first to a member state of the ICC since the court issued a warrant for his arrest in March 2023.
RT reports: The warrant obliges the court’s 124-member states to detain Putin for extradition should he set foot on their soil, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said before the trip that Moscow “has no concerns” that “our friends from Mongolia” would act on the court order.
After Putin touched down smoothly, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tykhy took to social media to complain.
“The Mongolian government’s failure to carry out the binding ICC arrest warrant for Putin is a heavy blow to the International Criminal Court and the international criminal justice system,” he wrote on X.
“Mongolia allowed the indicted criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes. We will work with partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar,” he added.
The ICC could formally condemn Mongolia for failing to enforce the warrant. However, it lacks the authority to impose fines, sanctions, or any other penalties. It also lacks any mechanism of enforcing its own warrants, relying on member states to choose whether to obey them.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine are signatories to the Rome Statute, the 1998 agreement that established the court. Ukraine’s parliament ratified the statute last month, but included a clause stating that it would not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over cases involving Ukrainian nationals.
The ICC issued the warrant in March 2023, accusing Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova of the “unlawful deportation” of children from “occupied areas of Ukraine.” Moscow rejected the accusations as absurd, pointing out that its forces were evacuating civilians from a combat zone where they faced imminent danger from Ukrainian artillery and drone strikes.
