Source: Sorry not sorry, says Mongolia after failure to arrest Putin – POLITICO
Apologies everyone, our hands are kinda tied.
That’s the message from Mongolia’s government after it failed on Monday to execute an international arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin as he landed in the country for an official visit.
In a statement to POLITICO on Tuesday, a Mongolian government spokesperson said that the country finds itself in a position of energy dependence, rendering it difficult to handcuff Putin on the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over war crimes in Ukraine.
“Mongolia imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of electricity from our immediate neighborhood, which have previously suffered interruption for technical reasons. This supply is critical to ensure our existence and that of our people,” the spokesperson said.
Any ICC member is required to act upon the court’s warrants, but Mongolia has not done so. A legal expert previously told POLITICO that Mongolia will likely face prosecution over its inaction.
The European Union, Ukraine and international human rights organizations like Amnesty International previously urged Mongolia to act on its obligations.
Heorhii Tykhii, spokesperson for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, called Mongolia’s failure to arrest Putin “a heavy blow to ICC and the international criminal justice system.”
“Mongolia allowed the indicted criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes. We will work with partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar,” Tykhii added.
