Although democratic Mongolia is a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the authorities have refrained from arresting the accused warmonger. Putin has an effective bargaining chip in his hand.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in conversation. The official reason for the visit is the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, in which a Soviet-Mongolian alliance defeated Japanese troops.
Vyacheslav Prokofyev / Sputnik via Reuters
The extent to which democratic Mongolia still depends on Russia was once again demonstrated by the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Although the country of 3.4 million inhabitants, located between the superpowers Russia and China, joined the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2002, the local authorities refrained from arresting the Russian president.
Putin arrived in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar late Monday evening and was received with military honors.
Last year, the International Criminal Court in The Hague indicted Putin for the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. Shortly before the Russian president’s departure, the criminal court pointed out that the Mongolian authorities were obliged to arrest Putin. However, there is no sanction mechanism against countries that do not fulfill their obligations.
Ukraine reacts indignantly
As expected, the Ukrainian government reacted with outrage to the inaction of the Mongolian authorities. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Mongolia’s refusal to arrest the Russian president was a “serious blow to the International Criminal Court and the system of international criminal law.”
On Telegram, the spokesman continued: “Mongolia is helping an accused criminal to evade the law. This means that Mongolia bears part of the responsibility for the war crimes.”
For Putin, however, the visit to Ulaanbaatar is a triumph. On the one hand, it shows how great Russia’s influence still is on the once close ally of the former Soviet Union. On the other hand, the lack of arrest reveals the powerlessness of Western countries in the face of the warmonger from Moscow.
Electricity and fuel from Russia
The reasons for the inaction of the Mongolian authorities are obvious – Moscow can blackmail Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia gets almost 100 percent of its gasoline and diesel from Russia. Russia also owns 50 percent of the Mongolian railway system.
In addition, the large neighbor to the north supplies a large amount of electricity. Nationwide, the share is between twenty and thirty percent; in some areas in the west, Mongolia even gets all of its electricity from Russia. In the past, Russian energy suppliers have repeatedly cut off electricity when Mongolia was politically upset.
The Mongolian government also fears that Russia could cut off Mongolia’s energy supply next winter because the country might need it for its military activities in Ukraine.
Commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol
The official reason for Putin’s visit to Mongolia is the commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in World War II, in which a Soviet-Mongolian alliance defeated advancing Japanese troops. Putin last visited Mongolia in 2019 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the battle.
Mongolia’s geographical location, nestled between Russia and China, presents Ulaanbaatar with enormous challenges. The democratic country must always take into account its economic dependence on its two large neighbors in its foreign policy.
A large proportion of Mongolian raw materials go to China. The deliveries ensure the state revenue of the country, which has no access to the sea. Overall, the People’s Republic of Mongolia takes around ninety percent of its exports.
The ever-closer alliance between Beijing and Moscow is ruthlessly exploiting its economically advantageous position and is trying to involve Mongolia as much as possible in its efforts to create an alternative international order.
The “Third Neighbour Policy”
Ulaanbaatar, on the other hand, is trying to deepen relations with Western countries as part of the so-called “third neighbor policy” and thus maintain some distance from Russia and China despite economic dependence. The Mongolian government has concluded strategic partnerships with the USA, Japan, South Korea and Germany.
Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Mongolia. At the beginning of August, Swiss President Viola Amherd also travelled to Ulaanbaatar for a state visit.
For the Mongolian government, foreign policy is a constant balancing act. On the one hand, there are efforts to be part of the Western community of values, which includes the International Criminal Court in The Hague. On the other hand, there is the need to maintain a friendly relationship with Russia, which is considered a pariah state in the West.
That is why the Mongolian government also concluded a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Russia in 2019. In July, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh met with Putin at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Kazakh capital Astana. Khurelsukh extended the invitation to Putin to visit Mongolia last year – during his state visit to Moscow.
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