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By Lilith Foster-Collins
News Reporter
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Russian President Putin has arrived in Mongolia, a member of the international court that issued an arrest warrant for him.
Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Putin and hand him over to the court in The Hague.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in 2023 because of his links to the forced deportation of children during the war from Ukraine to Russia, where many have been adopted by Russian families.
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Putin is in Mongolia on an official visit during which he is to meet Tuesday with Mongolian leader Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
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It is the first time Putin has been to a member country of the ICC since it issued the warrant 18 months ago.
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 ruling marked the first time an arrest warrant has been issued against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
A spokesperson for Putin said last week that the Kremlin isn't worried about the visit.
They emphasized the strong relationship between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar, saying: "No worries, we have an excellent dialogue with our friends in Mongolia."
Mongolia has assured the Kremlin that Putin will not face detention during his visit, according to Bloomberg.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they held conversations with the authorities in Mongolia and "all aspects of the visit were carefully prepared."
A political analyst close to the Kremlin, Sergei Markov, echoed this sentiment.
"There is no risk of Putin's arrest," Markov said to Bloomberg. "Before any foreign trips, the entire spectrum of the negotiating format is agreed in advance, and the host nation gives 100% guarantees that neither Putin nor any member of the delegation will be detained."
Mongolia, a sparsely populated country between Russia and China, is heavily dependent on Russia for fuel and electricity.
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.
Thousands of soldiers died in months of fighting in a dispute over where the border was between Manchuria and Mongolia.
Though Putin has faced international isolation over the invasion of Ukraine, he visited North Korea and Vietnam last month and has also visited China twice in the past year.
He joined a meeting in Johannesburg by video link last year after the South African government lobbied against him showing up for the BRICS summit, a group that also includes China and other emerging economies.
South Africa is an ICC member.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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