Vladimir Putin: Ukraine urges Mongolia to arrest the Russian president

KYIV: Ukraine urged Mongolia on Friday to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant when he visits on September 3, but the Kremlin said it was not worried about the trip.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in March of last year against Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated.

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The warrant obliges the International Criminal Court’s 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

“We call on the Mongolian authorities to comply with the mandatory international arrest warrant and transfer Putin to the International Criminal Court in the Hague,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram.

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Asked earlier on Friday whether Moscow was concerned that Mongolia is a member of the International Criminal Court, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No, no worries about this. We have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia.”

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Asked whether there had been discussions with Mongolian authorities about the International Criminal Court warrant, Peskov said: “Obviously the visit, all of the aspects of the visit have been thoroughly discussed.”