Ukraine urges Mongolia to arrest Putin on international warrant

KYIV,  Ukraine 

Ukraine urged Mongolia on Friday to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on an International Criminal Court warrant when he visits on Sept. 3, but the Kremlin said it was not worried about the trip.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March of last year against Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated.

The warrant obliges the court's 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

"We call on the Mongolian authorities to comply with the mandatory international arrest warrant and transfer Putin to the International Criminal Court in the Hague," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram.

Asked earlier on Friday whether Moscow was concerned that Mongolia is a member of the ICC, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "No, no worries about this. We have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia."

Asked whether there had been discussions with Mongolian authorities about the ICC warrant, Peskov said: "Obviously the visit, all of the aspects of the visit have been thoroughly discussed."