Putin Arrives in Mongolia in Defiance of I.C.C. Arrest Warrant

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The Russian president is making a state visit to a country that is heavily dependent on Moscow for oil.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia began meetings with the leader of Mongolia on Tuesday in his first state visit to a member of the International Criminal Court since it issued a warrant for his arrest in March 2023.

In advance of Mr. Putin’s trip, the I.C.C. stated that Mongolia was obligated to arrest Mr. Putin, but Mongolia is heavily dependent on Russia for fuel, and an arrest was considered extremely unlikely.

Far from being arrested, Mr. Putin was given a red-carpet welcome in the central square of the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Ahead of the trip, the Kremlin had shrugged off the possibility of an arrest.

“There are no worries, we have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia,” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, told reporters on Friday, noting that “all aspects of the visit have been thoroughly prepared.”

Mr. Putin was greeted when he arrived Monday night by what appeared to be a Mongolian military guard at the airport and spent the night in the capital, a sign that he is comfortable being in the country.

Image

A demonstrator holds a Ukrainian flag outside the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar to protest the visit by President Putin to Mongolia.Credit…Rentsendorj Bazarsukh/Reuters

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