©Sputnik/Alexey Maishev
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin turned out to be a meaningless scrap of paper, his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev has said. His comments came after Putin arrived in Mongolia, an ICC member state, without facing any obstacles.
Writing on Telegram on Tuesday, Medvedev, who now serves as Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, mocked the Western reaction to Putin’s visit to Ulaanbaatar. “The servile European Union has reportedly expressed ‘concern’ to Mongolia over the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he said.
However, the Asian country “has just told the ICC and Eurodegenerates to go do to themselves something that Russians and Mongols found a word for together, back in the 13th century” and get lost, Medvedev suggested.
The ex-president went on to argue that the ICC – which he labeled a “half-baked ‘court’” – should be afraid of “a scenario where some madman tries to carry out their illegal arrest warrant. […] In that case, their lives would be worth no more than the piece of paper on which this shitty statute is written,” he warned.
In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for allegedly participating in unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction and declared the order null and void. Russia says that Ukrainian children were evacuated for safety reasons, and that they can be returned to their parents or guardians upon request.
Putin’s visit to Mongolia was his first foreign trip to a country that recognizes the ICC statute. Ahead of the trip, the court’s spokesman, Fadi el-Abdallah, said that the country had to cooperate with the ICC on the detention, adding that failure to do so could trigger an “appropriate” response from the body.
However, the Rome Statute, under which the ICC operates, provides for exemptions if an arrest would “breach a treaty obligation” with another country or violate the “diplomatic immunity of a person or property of a third state.”
Before Putin landed in Ulaanbaatar, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov allayed fears of a potential attempt to arrest the Russian leader. “We have excellent relations with our friends from Mongolia,” he said, noting that Moscow “has no concerns” about the ICC warrant.
Putin invites Mongolian president to BRICS summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, to attend the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan next month. The offer was extended at a meeting of the two leaders in the Mongolian capital.
Putin landed in Mongolia late on Monday for his first visit to the country in five years. On Tuesday morning, Khurelsukh greeted the Russian leader outside the State Palace on Ulaanbaatar’s main square. The ceremony included a guard of honor and a detachment of horsemen dressed as medieval Mongolian cavalry. The anthems of the two nations were performed, with Putin also accepting a bouquet of red roses from a small girl.
“I would like to invite you to Russia, to Kazan, where the BRICS summit will be held this year. This will be the first event of this level after the expansion of this organization. I hope you will take part in the BRICS+ format. We are waiting for you,” Putin told Khurelsukh as their talks began at the State Palace.
©Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna
The Mongolian president said that he accepts the invitation to visit the high-profile event in the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan Republic.
This year’s BRICS summit will take place in Kazan from October 22 to 24. Russia is hosting the event due to being the current chairman of the group. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE officially became members of BRICS at the start of 2024, joining Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Putin emphasized that the relations between Russia and Mongolia “are developing in all areas.”
“Besides the economy and political sphere – where we cooperate quite actively – I would also note the effective work in humanitarian areas, in particular in the field of education,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic had complicated exchanges between the two countries, but “we were eventually able to reach a trajectory of growth in trade relations and trade turnover,” the Russian leader added.
Khurelsukh stressed that the development of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Russia remains a “priority direction” of Mongolia’s foreign policy. He expressed satisfaction that relations between the two countries have grown in recent years.
Ulaanbaatar believes Putin’s visit to be of “great importance” and expects it to pave the way to “further develop our comprehensive trade and economic cooperation that will bring wellbeing and prosperity to our peoples,” the Mongolian leader said.
Besides talks with top Mongolian officials, Putin is scheduled to take part in a commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, the 1939 border conflict in which the Soviet and Mongolian armies jointly fought and defeated Japanese imperial forces.
