Mongolia rolls out red carpet for Putin despite war crimes accusations

Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by honour guards and red carpets in the Mongolian capital on Tuesday on his first visit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member since it issued a warrant for his arrest last year.

Putin landed in Ulaanbaatar on Monday night at the start of a high-profile trip seen as a show of defiance against the court, Kyiv, the West and rights groups that have all called for him to be detained.

He met Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Tuesday at Ulaanbaatar's imposing Genghis Khan Square, also known as Sukhbaatar Square, where a band played martial tunes and both national anthems.

The Russian leader praised Mongolia's "respectful attitude" and told Khurelsukh the two nations had "close positions" on "many current international issues".

Putin is wanted by the Hague-based ICC for the alleged illegal deportation of Ukrainian children since his troops invaded the country in 2022.

Ukraine has reacted furiously to the trip, accusing Mongolia of "sharing responsibility" for Putin's "war crimes" after authorities did not detain him at the airport.

"Today, Putin humiliated Mongolia by cynically using it as a bargaining chip in his geopolitical game," Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on social media platform X.

"By refusing to arrest Putin, Mongolia has deliberately jeopardised its international standing," he said.

A European Union spokesperson said that the bloc "regrets" that Mongolia "did not comply with its obligations" under the Rome Statute that established the ICC.

The United States, which is not part of the ICC and has increasingly close ties with Mongolia, acknowledged the unenviable position of Ulaanbaatar but voiced hope Mongolian officials would raise concerns with Putin.

"We understand the position that Mongolia is in -- sandwiched between two much larger neighbours -- but we do think it's important that they continue to support the rule of law," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

The ICC said last week all its members had an "obligation" to detain those sought by the court.

In practice, there is little that can be done if Ulaanbaatar does not comply.

- 'No chance' of arrest -

A vibrant democracy situated between authoritarian giants Russia and China, Mongolia enjoys close cultural links to Moscow as well as a critical trading relationship with Beijing.

On the streets of Ulaanbaatar, Altanbayar Altankhuyag, a 26-year-old economist, told AFP it would have been "immoral and improper" to arrest Putin.

"China and Russia both are very important to us as neighbours," he said.

Mongolia was under Moscow's sway during the Soviet era but has sought to keep friendly relations with both the Kremlin and Beijing since the Soviet collapse in 1991.

It has not condemned Russia's offensive in Ukraine and has abstained during votes on the conflict at the United Nations.

The Kremlin said last week it was not concerned that Putin would be arrested during the visit.

"Obviously there was no chance of arresting Putin," Bayarlkhagva Munkhnaran, a political analyst and former adviser on Mongolia's National Security Council, told AFP.

"In Ulaanbaatar's view the current ICC warrant-related scandal is a passing matter compared to the need to maintain secure and predictable relations with the Kremlin," he said.

- 'War criminal' Putin -

Genghis Khan Square was decked out with huge Mongolian and Russian flags for Putin's first visit to the country in five years. The two leaders stood near Mongolian soldiers in traditional costume, some of them on horseback.

A small group of protesters had gathered there a day earlier, with demonstrators holding a sign demanding "Get war criminal Putin out of here".

Tight security prevented another protest planned for Tuesday from getting near Putin.

Tsatsral Bat-Ochir of the NoWar movement said she and other activists had been held by police for trying to protest against Putin's visit.

"We tried to protest against war criminal Putin, but then here we were illegally detained for five hours," she told AFP.

Police Colonel N. Batbayar said the activists had been held for ignoring warnings against entering a "security area established on the square during Putin's visit".

"This was not an arrest," he told AFP, adding that seven people had been taken in to give statements.

Other protesters gathered about a block from the Monument for the Politically Repressed, which honours those who suffered under Mongolia's decades-long Soviet-backed communist rule.

Putin's visit is being held to mark the 85th anniversary of a decisive victory by Mongolian and Soviet forces over Imperial Japan.