Politics Putin invites Mongolia to Brics summit meeting

At the start of his visit to Mongolia, Russian head of state Vladimir Putin met with President Uchnaagiin Chürelsüch and invited him to Russia for the upcoming summit of the Brics states. "We are expecting you," Putin said during the meeting in the capital Ulan Bator, according to Russian news agencies.

The group of major emerging economies dominated by Russia and China will meet at the end of October in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Putin said that he mainly wanted to talk about economic cooperation in Mongolia.

His visit was initially seen as problematic, as Mongolia recognizes the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. This court has issued an international arrest warrant against Putin for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the Kremlin leader should actually be arrested in Mongolia.

The warrant was issued in March 2023 because, in the court's opinion, Putin is responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. The Kremlin leader is testing out for the first time whether he can visit a country that would have to extradite him.

Mongolia is surrounded by the superpowers Russia and China and is trying to maintain a balanced relationship with its powerful neighbors and the West. An arrest of Putin is considered unlikely simply because of the economic dependence on both neighbors.

For Mongolia expert Julian Dierkes, this would be downright "suicidal", as he analyzed before the visit. Among other things, Mongolia obtains a lot of fuel from Russia. China is Mongolia's most important trading partner, to which the country with a population of around 3.4 million exports its raw materials such as coal.

What will become of a new Russia-China gas pipeline?

According to media reports, the planned Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which Russia wants to build to China, is likely to be a topic during Putin's visit to Ulan Bator. It would run through Mongolia. So far, however, Beijing and Moscow have not been able to agree on the price.

In a resolution passed in August, Mongolia's parliament has not earmarked any funds for the pipeline. According to a report in the New York Times, this is seen as a sign that the potential transit country does not expect the pipeline to be built.

A treaty on peaceful relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership has been in place between Russia and Mongolia for five years, according to the Mongolian state agency Montsame.

The visit also marks the 85th anniversary of a battle in which Mongolian and Soviet troops repelled the Japanese. Together, they prevented Japanese troops from advancing northwest from Manchuria in 1939.

SDA