'No Country Should Give Him Platform', U.S. Says, As Putin Gets Lavish Welcome In Mongolia Despite ICC Warrant

The United States on Tuesday advised Mongolia to emphasize its support for Ukraine's sovereignty in discussions with Russia's Vladimir Putin, who received a red carpet welcome on a state visit to the country, a move that was widely criticized due to a failure to arrest him under a warrant from the International Criminal Court, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"[A]s we have said, we don’t believe any country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression against Ukraine," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

"We do expect Mongolia to adhere to its commitment and its support for the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, and convey that those principles must be upheld around the world," Miller added.

At the same time, the speskerson went on to acknowledge Mongolia's position between two major neighbors. "We understand the position that Mongolia is in, sandwiched between two much larger neighbors, but we do think it’s important that they continue to support the rule of law around the world," he concluded.

The ICC warrant accuses Putin of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Despite ratifying the Rome Statute of the ICC, Mongolia has refused to execute the warrant as authorities in Ulaanbaatar explained their stance by citing the country's dependence on Russian energy products.