Russian President Vladimir Putin Visits Mongolia Despite International Arrest Warrant

Russian President, Vladimir Putin has visited Mongolia, a member of the international court that issued an arrest warrant for him.

The official visit, in which he is to meet today, September 3, with Mongolian leader Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, is Putin’s first to a member country of the International Criminal Court since it issued a warrant for his arrest nearly 18 months ago on charges of war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Putin and hand him over to the court in The Hague.

Members of the international court are bound to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued, but the court doesn’t have any enforcement mechanism.

The ICC has accused Putin of being responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine, where the fighting has raged for 2½ years.

Putin and the Mongolian leader on Tuesday are to attend a ceremony marking the 1939 victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the Japanese army that had taken control of Manchuria in northeastern China.