After Putin dodges arrest in Mongolia, the Kremlin says no one can hold Russia back PUBLISHED WED, SEP 4 2024 5:20 AM EDT UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO Holly El
Edited drom the full report:
KEY POINTS
There was more than a whiff of smug self-satisfaction from the Kremlin on Wednesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Mongolia at the start of the week went without a hitch.
Putin was given the red-carpet treatment, met his Mongolian counterpart, and talked trade ties and bilateral relations. He wasn't arrested in the process, either.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russia could not be held back from developing ties with other "interested" countries.
As a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mongolia had a duty to arrest and detain Putin as he landed on Mongolian soil Monday night. Since March 2023, he is the subject of an ICC international arrest warrant on war crimes charges related to the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
The Kremlin says it doesn't recognize the ICC warrant and, in the event of his state visit to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia chose to ignore its obligations to arrest Putin — landing itself in hot water with the court, Ukraine and its European allies, which heavily criticized the decision.
Analysts say that the economically vulnerable Mongolia faced a stark choice between its obligations to comply with the ICC ruling and the need to deepen lucrative ties with its powerful neighbor Russia, on whom it is largely reliant for oil and gas supplies. Mongolia is also on the route of a proposed gas pipeline, known as the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, connecting its top trading partners and neighbors, Russia and China.
"The real story, however, is that there's still no announcement on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which is supposed to go through Mongolia ... and the parts of the international order that Putin is most keen on challenging are those related to the economy, in particular, because they're the basis for which sanctions are so effective against his regime," Hess noted.
CNBC has contacted both the Kremlin and Mongolian government for further comment.
A Mongolian government spokesperson told news site Politico on Tuesday that the country's energy dependence on Russia put it in a difficult position when it comes to its relationship with Moscow.
"Mongolia imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of electricity from our immediate neighborhood, which have previously suffered interruption for technical reasons. This supply is critical to ensure our existence and that of our people," the spokesperson said.
KEY POINTS
There was more than a whiff of smug self-satisfaction from the Kremlin on Wednesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Mongolia at the start of the week went without a hitch.
Putin was given the red-carpet treatment, met his Mongolian counterpart, and talked trade ties and bilateral relations. He wasn't arrested in the process, either.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russia could not be held back from developing ties with other "interested" countries.
As a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mongolia had a duty to arrest and detain Putin as he landed on Mongolian soil Monday night. Since March 2023, he is the subject of an ICC international arrest warrant on war crimes charges related to the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
The Kremlin says it doesn't recognize the ICC warrant and, in the event of his state visit to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia chose to ignore its obligations to arrest Putin — landing itself in hot water with the court, Ukraine and its European allies, which heavily criticized the decision.
Analysts say that the economically vulnerable Mongolia faced a stark choice between its obligations to comply with the ICC ruling and the need to deepen lucrative ties with its powerful neighbor Russia, on whom it is largely reliant for oil and gas supplies. Mongolia is also on the route of a proposed gas pipeline, known as the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, connecting its top trading partners and neighbors, Russia and China.
"The real story, however, is that there's still no announcement on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which is supposed to go through Mongolia ... and the parts of the international order that Putin is most keen on challenging are those related to the economy, in particular, because they're the basis for which sanctions are so effective against his regime," Hess noted.
CNBC has contacted both the Kremlin and Mongolian government for further comment.
A Mongolian government spokesperson told news site Politico on Tuesday that the country's energy dependence on Russia put it in a difficult position when it comes to its relationship with Moscow.
"Mongolia imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of electricity from our immediate neighborhood, which have previously suffered interruption for technical reasons. This supply is critical to ensure our existence and that of our people," the spokesperson said.
