Ukrainian politicians urge Mongolia to arrest Putin ahead of Tuesday visit

(LONDON) — A group of six Ukrainian lawmakers appealed to their counterparts in Mongolia to execute the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against President Vladimir Putin when the Russian leader visits the nation this week.

In a letter provided to ABC News, the parliamentarians — all members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People Party — requested that Mongolian authorities detain Putin under to the ICC warrant issued in March 2023 related to the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Ukraine and Mongolia are both signatories to the Rome Statute, which underpins the ICC and grants it jurisdiction over crimes in the categories of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

“The abduction of Ukrainian children is just one of the many crimes for which Putin and the rest of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation must face justice,” the Ukrainian politicians wrote in their letter to members of Mongolia’s State Great Hural parliament.

“As members of the Ukrainian parliament, we call on the Mongolian authorities to execute the binding international arrest warrant and hand over the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” the letter said.

“We look forward to your support,” the letter concluded.

Oleksandr Merezhko — one signatory of the letter and the chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee — told ABC News that the lawmakers were yet to receive a response as of early Monday morning. ABC News reached out to Mongolian officials for comment.

Mongolia will be the first Rome Statute signatory to host Putin since the ICC arrest warrant against him was issued. The Russian leader decided not to travel to summits in South Africa and Brazil — both also Rome Statute signatories — last year.

Merezhko acknowledged there is “little hope” that Mongolia will deliver Putin to the ICC when he visits on Tuesday.

“Putin wants to create a precedent that the ICC arrest warrants are not respected,” Merezhko said. “He failed to do it with South Africa and Brazil, and decided to use Mongolia.”

The nation — wedged between China to the south and Russia to the north — is heavily dependent on its mammoth neighbors. Putin, Merezhko suggested, is seeking to “abuse” this influence to undermine the ICC warrant.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press conference last week that the administration had “no worries” about the planned visit.

“We have an excellent rapport with our partners from Mongolia,” Peskov said. “Of course, all aspects of the president’s visit have been carefully prepared.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Kyiv “hopes that the government of Mongolia is aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal,” adding: “We call on the Mongolian authorities to execute the binding international arrest warrant and transfer Putin to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”

The Rome Statute allows for signatories to raise disputes against others via the body’s Assembly of States Parties. Merezhko hinted that Kyiv may look to do so if Putin’s visit proceeds smoothly.

“If Mongolia violates the Rome Statute, there must be serious consequences,” he said.