Mongolia is the first state signatory of the Rome Statute to which Vladimir Putin traveled after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023 for war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. The Kremlin chief came to the country on an official visit in September this year.

The Chamber recalled that "the Tribunal performs functions consistent with the general interests of the international community by exercising jurisdiction over the most serious international crimes, which include serious violations of fundamental norms of international law."

Under the court's founding treaty, the Mongolian side was required to cooperate with the ICC, including arresting and surrendering suspects who entered its territory. The agreement includes a provision that member states can be released from their obligations if fulfilling them would force them to "violate a pre-existing treaty obligation" to another state and violate the diplomatic immunity of representatives or property of third countries.

Previously - since the arrest warrant was in effect - the Russian dictator had only traveled to countries that had not ratified the Rome Statute.

Russian lawyer Sergei Golubok, in an interview with the Russian-language Belsat portal Vot-Tak, stressed that the ICC's decisions themselves have no consequences for individual signatory states. For example, Mongolia cannot be expelled from the ICC for refusing to arrest Putin. In his opinion, this is not provided for in the Rome Statute, and any country can withdraw if it wishes.

According to the lawyer, what happened in Mongolia is a blow to the reputation of the International Criminal Court. Therefore, the issue has been referred to the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC. According to him, these signatory countries must decide what measures they can realistically take in connection with what has happened.