Russian President visits Mongolia, first visit to ICC member state since arrest warrant

Moscow [Russia]: Russian President Vladimir Putin who is on an official visit to Mongolia was greeted with a traditional welcome at the Ulaanbaatar airport, state media reported.

The Russian leader's plane landed at the Ulaanbaatar airport on Monday and was greeted by a guard of honour in national dress and representatives of the Mongolian leadership, TASS reported.

Mongolia is a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and this is Putin's first visit to the country since he was indicted of war crimes in Crimea last year. According to the Kremlin, Putin was invited by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh to take part in ceremonies marking the 85th anniversary of Mongolian and Soviet troops' victory over Japanese forces at the Khalkhin Gol River.

During his two-day visit to the country that borders China, Putin will hold bilateral meetings, including with Mongolian leader Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. He will also sign several documents and lay flowers at the monument to Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov today.

As per Russian media, traditionally, the Russian president uses an Aurus car with the Russian flag when he travels abroad, and this time too, he left the airport in this car.

Putinad cancelled a visit in the August 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg after a South African court affirmed the government's duty to arrest Putin if he visited. Putin has also visited North Korea and Vietnam this June and China twice in the past year. As per a report in the Washington Post, an open letter by the Antiwar Human Rights Coalition, signed by dozens of rights advocates and organizations, called on Mongolia's government to fulfil its obligations and arrest Putin. Meanwhile, ahead of his visit to Mongolia, Putin met with school students in Kyzyl, the capital of Russia's Siberian region of Tuva which borders Mongolia. He extolled military values and stated that the Russian army is now taking back control of territories in special operations against Ukraine. He also spoke of the importance of a new compulsory school course, "Basics of Security and Defence of the Motherland," which he said would put military preparation for children "on a systemic basis."

According to Putin, as reported by TASS the Ukrainian provocation is doomed to fail, and after it does, Russia's opponents "will have a true desire -- not in words, but in deeds -- to move to peaceful negotiations and settle these issues peacefully."

(ANI)