Vitaly Portnikov: Why did Putin go to Mongolia?

Russian President Putin visited Mongolia to once again demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the current world order and the principles of international law, a well-known Ukrainian journalist, political analyst, and commentator Vitaly Portnikov said.

“Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown his willingness to revise the very norms of international law – in this case, to demonstrate that the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant in The Hague is not truly effective when it concerns the head of the Russian Federation. Putin has been trying to prove that this warrant is worthless from the very first days after it became known that The Hague decided to issue such warrants for his arrest and the arrest of the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, primarily in connection with accusations of the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from Ukraine to Russia,” Portnikov explains.

Putin has been seeking opportunities to visit any country that has ratified the Rome Statute and would also agree to his safe arrival, says Portnikov. “Many people say that economic preferences are important for Mongolia in this visit. For Mongolia – of course. It could be said that Putin is ready to pay Ulaanbaatar for allowing him to visit at least Mongolia to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the ICC,” the analyst continues.

Russia systematically attempts to destroy the norms of international law. “Putin began doing this almost immediately after his memorable speech at the Munich Conference in 2007. In 2008, Russia recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed Georgian autonomies – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This was a significant step in destabilizing the post-Soviet space. In 2014, Putin decided not only to occupy but also to annex Ukraine’s Crimea and Sevastopol,” Portnikov states.

Now Putin is trying to once again revise international law by demanding, as a condition for ending the war, that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, which are controlled by the legitimate Ukrainian government.

“And now, the next step towards undermining the world order is the demonstration of the impotence of the International Criminal Court because the question of ‘What consequences will Mongolia face for clearly not fulfilling its own obligations?’ has no real answer. It is obvious that Mongolia does not fear any repercussions. This is also a demonstration that the mechanisms of international law only truly work when a country is willing to recognize and comply with them,” Portnikov concludes.