No country should give Putin platform to promote war of aggression – US State Department on Putin's visit to Mongolia

The US Department of State, commenting on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's visit to Mongolia, has urged countries not to provide him with a platform to promote his war of aggression.

Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, emphasised during a briefing that the US believes no country should give Putin a platform to promote his aggressive war against Ukraine.

"We do expect Mongolia to adhere to its commitment and its support for the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, and convey that those principles must be upheld around the world," he said.

Meanwhile, Miller expressed an understanding of the situation Mongolia is in, being caught between two much larger neighbours.

"We do very much understand the difficult position that Mongolia is in. It’s a much smaller country between two neighbours. We look to continue to support Mongolia, but we do think it’s important that they uphold their international obligations. 

And it’s important that if they do communicate with Russia that they make clear that they support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty," Miller emphasised.

Putin's visit to Mongolia on 3 September is his first visit to a state that is party to the Rome Statute of the ICC after the court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023.

According to media reports, the Mongolian authorities assured Putin that they would not arrest him. Mongolia explained that they would not do this due to its energy dependence on Russia.

The European Union expressed regret that the Mongolian authorities hosted the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and did not arrest him, as required by the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.