Putin is scheduled to visit Russiaโs neighbor on Monday, to mark the 85th anniversary of a major World War II battle. This would theoretically put him at risk of arrest on the ICCโs โwar crimesโ warrant, as Ulaanbaatar recognizes the courtโs jurisdiction.
All states that signed the Rome Statute โhave the obligation to cooperate in accordance with Chapter IXโ, ICC spokesman Fadi el-Abdallah told the BBC on Friday.
The Rome Statute is an international treaty that set up the court, which Mongolia ratified in 2002.
โIn case of non-cooperation, ICC judges may make a finding to that effect and inform the Assembly of States Parties of it. It is then for the Assembly to take any measure it deems appropriate,โ el-Abdallah added.
The Rome Statute provides for exemptions when arresting someone would โbreach a treaty obligationโ with another country or violate the โdiplomatic immunity of a person or property of a third state”.
Ukraine has also filed an official demand with Mongolia to arrest Putin, according to the government in Kiev.
Moscow โhas no concernsโ about the ICC warrant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Friday, noting that all possible issues concerning Putinโs visit have been โworked out separatelyโ in advance.
The ICC issued a warrant for Putinโs arrest in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of โunlawful deportation of population (children)โ and โunlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”.
Moscow has rejected the claims as ridiculous, noting that the evacuation of civilians from combat zones was not a crime. Moreover, neither Russia nor Ukraine is party to the Rome Statute, meaning that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the matter.
Putin is expected to attend a ceremony commemorating the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol. The decisive victory of the Red Army and its Mongolian allies over the Imperial Japanese Army secured the Soviet Unionโs eastern flank until 1945.