Mongolia “respects Putin more than international law” – Zelensky

Mongolia has more respect for Vladimir Putin, the leader of the Russian Kremlin, than for international law. The eastern country prioritizes war over peace.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this in an interview with NBC News.

"If Mongolia does not respect international law, then they accept Putin. And they have implemented the Rome Statute, as far as I know. And it should work for them.

And this is Mongolia's response to international law, whether they respect it or not. No, they don't respect it. They respect Putin more than international law," the head of state emphasized.

The president believes that Mongolia today shows more respect for the murderer than for international law – for war than for peace.

"But this does not mean that if several countries do not respect international law, then there will be no responsibility of one or another person. Because most countries will still wait for responsibility, and it will still happen," Zelensky assured.

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On September 2, the senior adviser on international justice of the human rights watch organization, Maria Elena Vignoli, called on Mongolia to ban the entry of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who has planned a visit to the country on September 3, or to arrest him if he enters the territory of this country.

However, on September 2, Putin flew to Mongolia on an official visit. This country's refusal to comply with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) mandatory warrant for Putin's arrest was a "heavy blow" to the ICC and the international criminal justice system.

This is Putin's initial trip to a nation that has ratified the Rome Statute and plans to detain the Russian leader based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2023.

The Kremlin has not officially commented on the possibility of the arrest of Putin, whom the ICC accuses of war crimes due to the "illegal deportation" of children and the population from the occupied Ukrainian territories.

In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to the Mongolian authorities' decision not to arrest Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

"Mongolia has allowed an accused criminal to escape justice, thereby sharing responsibility for his war crimes. We and our partners will work to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi wrote.