Putin welcomed in Mongolia despite ICC arrest warrant

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Mongolia, his first visit to an International Criminal Court (ICC) member since it issued a warrant for his arrest last year.

He was welcomed by Mongolia's leader at a lavish ceremony in the Asian nation's capital Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday.

 Defense cooperation between Russia and Mongolia includes weapons supplies to Ulaanbaatar and troop training, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Fomin told reporters.

"We maintain defense and military cooperation," he said ahead of expanded talks between the two countries’ delegations. "We train troops. This year, we provided training to over 340 service members," Fomin noted, adding that the Presidential Cadet Academy in Kyzyl, the capital of Russia’s Siberian region of Tuva, was one of the facilities used for training troops.

According to Fomin, other fields of defense cooperation include "weapons and military equipment supplies, as well as repair, maintenance and upgrading services." "This is what we provide them with," he specified.

Asked if Russia would train Mongolian pilots on the US-made F-16 fighter jets that could be seized in the course of its special military operation, Fomin stressed: "Our aircraft are the best in the world." He added, with an ironic smile, that Russia could train Mongolian pilots "to shoot them (the F-16s) down later on."