President Vladimir Putin of Russia was warmly received by the leader of Mongolia on Tuesday in his first state visit to a member nation of the International Criminal Court since it issued a warrant for his arrest last year.

Instead of arresting Putin, as the ICC, Ukraine, and human rights groups have urged, Mongolia, which is highly dependent on Russia for its energy needs, gave the Russian leader a red-carpet welcome in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Putin was greeted by an honor guard, some on horseback, whose uniforms were inspired by the 13th century Mongol ruler Genghis Khan.

Following the ceremonial welcome, Putin and President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh of Mongolia held talks in a traditional yurt in Ulaanbaatar’s State Palace.

“Relations between the Russian Federation and Mongolia are developing in all directions,” Putin said during the public portion of the meeting, according to RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency.

Khurelsukh expressed appreciation to Putin for his visit, the first in five years.

“It is gratifying to note that relations between our countries and peoples are traditionally friendly and have reached the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said.

Mongolia, which relies on Russia for 95% of its petroleum products, has refrained from condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and has abstained during United Nations votes concerning the conflict. Mongolia was one of the top destinations for Russians fleeing the country in 2022 after the war began and the Kremlin announced a mobilization campaign.

Officials in Ukraine, which has been under intense missile and drone attacks in the past week and a half, expressed outrage over Putin’s visit.

“The Mongolian government’s failure to carry out the binding ICC arrest warrant for Putin is a heavy blow to the International Criminal Court and the international criminal justice system,” Georgiy Tykhyi, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, wrote on the social platform X.

“Mongolia has allowed an accused criminal to evade justice, thereby sharing responsibility for the war crimes. We will work with partners to ensure that this has consequences for Ulaanbaatar.”

The Mongolian government has not commented on the calls to arrest Putin.

In March 2023, the ICC issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest, accusing him of committing war crimes with the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children. The court also issued a warrant for Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Russia, like the United States, does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court, which is based in The Hague. However, Mongolia is one of 124 signatories of the Rome statute, which governs membership in the international court.

Putin’s visit is being portrayed at home as a sign that Western efforts to turn him into a global pariah since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have not been effective.

He brought a large delegation to Ulaanbaatar, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Fomin, as well as top officials in energy, foreign affairs, transport and other ministries.

Executives from several large state companies were also part of his entourage, including from the Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corp. and Rosneft Oil Co., the country’s sovereign wealth fund. The heads of the Russian regions of Buryatia and Irkutsk, which border Mongolia, were also in attendance.

On Tuesday, the Russian Energy Ministry and Mongolia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources signed an agreement on oil product supplies, as well as on providing Mongolia with aviation fuel, Russia’s Interfax agency reported.

“We invariably respond to requests from Mongolian friends for assistance in meeting the growing demand for fuel and lubricants, including on preferential terms,” ​​Putin said, according to Interfax.

Since a rubber stamp election in March, Putin has made seven foreign trips, including to China, North Korea, Vietnam, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In all of 2023, Putin made six foreign trips, including to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He declined to travel to South Africa for a summit of the BRICS group of countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — last year because South Africa is also part of the ICC.

A small group of protesters gathered on the eve of Putin’s visit at the central Genghis Khan Square, with some holding posters calling Putin a war criminal, according to Mongolian news outlets. A heavy security perimeter prevented any protesters from getting close to the square Tuesday, and six people were briefly detained.

(New York Times News service)