Putin defies The Hague and visits Mongolia. EU calls to comply with international arrest warrant

Brussels – Vladimir Putin will visit Mongolia tomorrow (Sept. 3) in defiance of the arrest warrant issued a year and a half ago by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Mongolian authorities seem ready to welcome him with open arms in Ulan Bator despite Kyiv’s appeal to execute the warrant. To which Brussels added its words today: “We request the full cooperation of all States parties” to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. To which Mongolia is a party.

The European Union “clearly expressed its concern about the visit through the EU delegation to Mongolia,” explained European Commission Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali. But Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, president of the country squeezed between Russia and China, is turning a deaf ear. Then again, it would not be the first time a country party to the ICC has failed to meet its legal obligations. Under the treaty, all 124 member states of the ICC are required to execute the arrest warrant. However, The Hague can only rely on the countries’ cooperation and has nothing but verbal sanctions for those who fail to fulfil their obligations.

Of the 49 arrest warrants issued by The Hague since 2002, only 21 have resulted in actual detentions and court appearances. Among those who have gone unpunished is Sudan’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir, who was found guilty in 2007 of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Over the years, al-Bashir has travelled to several ICC member states, such as Jordan and South Africa, without consequence.

Pretoria itself, in August 2023, was to be the destination of Putin’s first international trip since the issuance of the arrest warrant for the illegal deportation and transportation of thousands of Ukrainian children. However, in that case, the Russian president refrained from physically attending the BRICS summit, limiting himself to a video conference appearance, for fear that domestic and international pressure might push South Africa to arrest him.

On the other hand, Moscow is not concerned about Ulan Bator’s loyalty: Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that “all aspects of the visit were carefully prepared.”