Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to visit Mongolia. This is the first time Putin is going to visit an ICC recognized country during the war with Ukraine and after the arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court. Before Putin’s visit, Ukraine has requested the President of Mongolia to arrest Putin. But the question is, is Putin’s arrest possible? Earlier also in 2015, an arrest warrant was issued against the then President of Sudan, but he could not be arrested during his visit to an ICC member country. On the other hand, the Kremlin says that it has no fear of Putin’s arrest, but full caution has been taken regarding the President’s security.
In fact, Ukraine has urged Mongolia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to the country next week. The ICC issued an arrest warrant in August 2023, accusing Putin of being responsible for war crimes. Putin is accused of the massacre of innocents, which Russian fighters carried out in Ukraine. An ICC spokesperson says Mongolian authorities have an “obligation” to comply with ICC rules, but he clarified that this does not mean that an arrest will take place.
On the other hand, the Kremlin (the official residence of the President of Russia) has said that it has no concerns regarding President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Mongolia. Mongolia is a part of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Putin is scheduled to visit Mongolia on September 3. This will be Putin’s first visit to an ICC member country after the ICC issued an arrest warrant in March 2023. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant against Putin for suspected war crimes in Ukraine.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin will visit Mongolia at the invitation of (Mongolian) President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh “to take part in ceremonial events marking the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over the Japanese militarists.” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily press conference on Friday that the Kremlin has “no concerns” about the upcoming visit: “We have had wonderful conversations with our friends from Mongolia.”
How possible is Putin’s arrest?
According to the Treaty of Rome, which establishes the ICC, if a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued sets foot in any ICC member country, it is the responsibility of that country to arrest him. But the court does not have an enforcement mechanism to enforce its orders.
In one such high-profile case, when Sudan’s then-President Omar al-Bashir visited South Africa in 2015, he was not arrested. South Africa is a member of the ICC. Its move was strongly criticized by human rights activists and the country’s main opposition party.