Mongolia rolls out red carpet for Putin despite ICC arrest warrant

High-profile trip seen as a show of defiance against court, the West

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Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by honour guards and a red carpet in the Mongolian capital on Sept 3 on his first visit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member since it issued a warrant for his arrest in 2023.

Mr Putin landed in Ulaanbaatar on the night of Sept 2 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 Sept 3 at Ulaanbaatar's imposing Genghis Khan Square, also known as Sukhbaatar Square, where a band played martial tunes and the two national anthems.

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

Mr 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 to the trip with fury, accusing Mongolia of "sharing responsibility" for Mr Putin's "war crimes" after the authorities did not detain him at the airport.