Mongolia's failure to arrest Putin will set a dangerous precedent – European Parliament members

Members of the European Parliament, including Urmas Paet, Vice-Chair of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, are calling on EU High Representative Josep Borrell to respond to the behaviour of Mongolia, a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), if the country does not arrest Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who arrived there on Monday for a visit.

As reported by ERR, Urmas Paet said Mongolia has a historic opportunity to become a guarantor of international law. "We simply must fulfil the International Criminal Court's demand – to arrest the criminal Putin and deliver him to The Hague," Paet said.

"If Mongolia fails to fulfil its obligations as an ICC member, the European Union must send a clear signal to Mongolia through diplomatic and economic measures," he added. 

In their appeal to Borrell, members of the European Parliament condemned the invitation Mongolia extended to Putin. "Mongolia's refusal to arrest Putin will set a precedent and open the door for other countries to selectively apply ICC arrest warrants," the members of the Parliament stated in their appeal.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted sharply to Mongolia's decision to allow war criminal Vladimir Putin to enter the country despite the ICC's arrest warrant.

Media reports said that the Mongolian authorities assured Putin that they would not arrest him.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Mongolia to fulfil its obligations under the Rome Statute of the ICC and arrest Putin.