MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Mongolia next week, a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that has issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader, the Kremlin on Thursday said.
It will be the first time Putin will be visiting a country that has ratified the treaty of the ICC, since the court issued the warrant for him in March 2023 over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
ICC members are expected to make the arrest if the Russian leader arrives on their territory. Mongolia signed the treaty in 2000 and ratified the document in 2002.
The Kremlin said Putin will travel to Mongolia on September 3 to mark the “85th anniversary of the joint victory of Soviet and Mongolian forces over Japanese militarists on the Khalkhin Gol River”.
The war took place in 1939 during the Japanese occupation of nearby Manchuria. The Kremlin added Putin and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh will discuss bilateral ties and exchange views on current global and regional issues.
“The heads of state will discuss prospects for further development of the Russian-Mongolian comprehensive strategic partnership,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Russia and Mongolia held joint military drills dubbed Selenga-2024.
