President Vladimir V. 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 Mr. Putin, as the I.C.C., 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. Mr. 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, Mr. 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,” Mr. Putin said during the public portion of the meeting, according to RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency.
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Mr. 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. The Kremlin has sought to both diminish the court’s moral and legal authority and to project the message that Moscow’s authority and dominance in natural resources wield more influence — — at least in its geographic neighborhood — than commitments to international law.
Mr. Khurelsukh expressed appreciation to Mr. 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 continued.
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