2024-09-03 13:41:32
Ukraine’s foreign ministry criticized Mongolia today for failing to arrest visiting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who is wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters reported, citing a Telegram post by the spokesman for the Georgii Tihii department.
According to Tihii, this is how the country dealt a serious blow to the international criminal legal system. Mongolia’s refusal to detain Putin is “a severe blow to the International Criminal Court and the criminal justice system,” he wrote, BTA reports.
“Mongolia has allowed an accused criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for war crimes,” added the Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman.
He said Ukraine will work with its allies to ensure that Mongolia bears the consequences. Last week, Ukraine called on Ulaanbaatar to arrest Putin during his visit to the country.
Putin arrived in Mongolia today for talks that look set to center mainly on a new gas pipeline linking Russia and China.
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued against Putin last year obliges the ICC’s 124 member states, which include Mongolia, to arrest Putin and hand him over to The Hague if the Russian leader sets foot on the territory of any of the these countries.