Putin to Visit Mongolia Amid ICC Warrant Calls

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Mongolia on September 3, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Mongolia is legally obligated to detain him, but the Kremlin remains unworried, citing strong diplomatic relations with Mongolia. This visit will be Putin's first to an ICC member state since the warrant's issuance in March 2023, putting Mongolia in a complex diplomatic position. Ukraine has urged Mongolia to comply with the ICC warrant and arrest Putin, while the ICC lacks an enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance. The situation echoes past instances where ICC member states, like South Africa, did not arrest visiting leaders with active warrants, highlighting challenges in international law enforcement.