By Smartencyclopedia with Agencies

KYIV – Ukraine’s foreign ministry has condemned Mongolia for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the country, calling it a severe blow to international criminal justice. This marks Putin’s first trip to a member nation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the court issued an arrest warrant for him nearly 18 months ago on charges of war crimes in Ukraine.

Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday for a meeting with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, scheduled for Tuesday. Despite the ICC’s arrest warrant, Mongolia, which relies heavily on Russia for fuel and electricity, did not detain Putin, drawing sharp criticism from Ukraine.

“Mongolia has allowed an accused criminal to evade justice, thereby sharing responsibility for the war crimes,” said Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Heorhiy Tykhyi, in a statement posted on Telegram. He added that Ukraine would collaborate with its allies to ensure Mongolia faced consequences for its actions.

The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, expects its member states to detain suspects if an arrest warrant has been issued. However, the court has no power to enforce this rule, leaving it up to individual countries to comply.

The Kremlin had previously dismissed concerns about Putin’s visit to Mongolia, indicating that it did not anticipate any issues despite the outstanding arrest warrant.

This incident has intensified the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of the ICC and the challenges it faces in enforcing international justice, particularly when dealing with powerful nations like Russia.