Putin is a War Criminal: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Urges Mongolia to Arrest Putin

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has urged the authorities of Mongolia to comply with the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and arrest Vladimir Putin, who is scheduled to visit the country on September 3.

In a statement, the Ukrainian side emphasized that Putin is a war criminal and expressed hope that the Mongolian government, which has ratified the Rome Statute, "recognizes this fact."

"The deportation of Ukrainian children is just one of many crimes for which Putin and other members of the Russian military-political leadership must face justice. These individuals are guilty of an aggressive war against Ukraine, crimes against the Ukrainian people, including murder, rape, looting, shelling of civilian infrastructure, and genocide," the statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reads.

Kyiv has called on Ulaanbaatar to enforce the international arrest order and transfer Putin to the Hague tribunal.

It is noteworthy that the Kremlin announced Putin’s visit to Mongolia on August 29. He will travel to Ulaanbaatar on September 3 at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and will participate in festive events commemorating the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of Soviet and Mongolian forces against the Imperial Japanese Army near Khalkhin Gol in 1939.

This will be Putin’s first visit to a country that has signed and ratified the ICC's Rome Statute. The ICC issued a decision to arrest the Russian president in March 2023 over the deportation of Ukrainian children.