Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to travel abroad in spite of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Putin is due to visit Mongolia on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Russia’s neighbour recognises the court’s authority and so is technically bound to honour the arrest warrant issued in March 2023.
But Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the threat of arrest, saying on Friday: “We are not worried. We maintain a wonderful dialogue with our friends in Mongolia.”
This would be Putin’s first trip to an ICC member state since he launched his all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022.
He skipped a meeting of BRICS countries in South Africa 2023, for instance.
Peskov answered in the affirmative when asked whether the arrest warrant had been an issue when preparing for the trip to Mongolia.
“Of course, all aspects of the visit were meticulously prepared,” he said, according to local media.
The Kremlin said Putin is travelling to the country at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh in order to expand cooperation.
Mongolia has sought a good relationship with its powerful neighbours China and Russia, while also maintaining ties to the West.
Because Mongolia is economically dependent on Russia, it is considered unlikely that the country would risk relations by arresting Putin.
The ICC accuses Putin of being responsible for the abduction and deportation of children and minors from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia.
Moscow refers to the incidents as evacuations.