Ukraine has expressed strong criticism toward Mongolia for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit. Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) under an arrest warrant issued last year, arrived in Mongolia for discussions expected to focus primarily on a new gas pipeline between Russia and China. According to Kyiv, Mongolia’s decision not to detain Putin represents a significant setback for international criminal justice.

Putin's visit to Mongolia marks his first trip to an ICC member state since the arrest warrant was issued. The warrant obliges the 124 member states of the ICC to arrest him and transfer him to The Hague if he sets foot on their territory. Despite this, Putin was received with traditional honors at Ulaanbaatar airport, including a guard of honor in national dress and representatives from the Mongolian leadership, as reported by state media.

The Russian president was invited by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh to participate in ceremonies commemorating the 85th anniversary of the victory of Mongolian and Soviet troops over Japanese forces at the Khalkhin Gol river. During his two-day visit, which included bilateral meetings and the signing of several documents, Putin also laid flowers at the monument to Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov.

Putin's trip to Mongolia follows the cancellation of his planned visit to the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August 2023, after a South African court affirmed the government’s obligation to arrest him if he attended. Additionally, Putin visited North Korea and Vietnam in June and has made two trips to China over the past year.

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. During this meeting, he praised military values and highlighted the Russian army's efforts to regain control of territories in its operations against Ukraine. He also discussed a new compulsory school course, "Basics of Security and Defense of the Motherland," which he claimed would establish a systematic approach to military preparation for children.

Meanwhile, the Antiwar Human Rights Coalition issued an open letter, signed by dozens of rights advocates and organizations, urging the Mongolian government to fulfill its international obligations and arrest Putin. Despite Ukraine's objections, the Kremlin maintained that Putin's visit was in line with his official invitation and that the trip would strengthen ties between Russia and Mongolia.