Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin’s new nuclear missile ‘uncovered’ north of Moscow

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had arrived for a state visit in Mongolia, which lies on the route of a planned new gas pipeline connecting Russia and China.

Russia has been in talks for years about building the pipeline to carry 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year from its Yamal region to China via Mongolia.

The project, Power of Siberia 2, is part of Russia’s strategy to compensate for the loss of most of its gas sales in Europe since the start of the Ukraine war. It is the planned successor to an existing pipeline of the same name which already supplies Russian gas to China and is due to reach its planned capacity of 38 bcm per year in 2025.

The new venture has long been bogged down over key issues such as the pricing of the gas. However, Putin said on the eve of his visit that preparatory work, including feasibility and engineering studies, were proceeding as scheduled.

He is due to hold talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Tuesday.

Ukraine urged Mongolia last week to arrest Putin on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court warrant last year, when it accused him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated, and has said it has no worries about Putin making the trip.

The warrant obliges the court’s 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

Asked whether there had been discussions with Mongolian authorities about the ICC warrant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that “all of the aspects of the visit have been thoroughly discussed.”

In a career which has spanned four decades, journalist Askold Krushelnycky has seen first-hand the brutality of the Russian regime. But as Ukraine establishes a foothold in Kursk, could the tide finally be turning?

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Ukraine‘s Foreign Ministry has said Mongolia’s failure to arrest visiting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, wanted on an international warrant, dealt a severe blow to the international criminal law system.

Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday for talks likely to focus on a new gas pipeline connecting Russia and China.

An International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued last year against Putin obliges the court’s 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest the Russian president and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi said Mongolia’s failure to detain Putin was “a heavy blow to the International Criminal Court and the system of criminal law.

“Mongolia has allowed an accused criminal to evade justice, thereby sharing responsibility for the war crimes,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Ukraine, he said, would work with its allies to ensure Mongolia felt the consequences.

Ukraine urged Mongolia last week to arrest Putin during his visit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had no worries about any action in connection with the warrant, saying Russia had “a great dialogue” with Mongolia and all aspects of the visit had been discussed in advance.

The ICC warrant accuses Putin of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said he met his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu on Monday to discuss the situation on the frontline and air defences.

Umerov said on Facebook officials from Ukraine‘s general staff briefed Lecornu on the battlefield situation and the critical needs of Kyiv troops in fighting Russia’s invasion.

Joint defence industries ventures were also discussed, he added.

Russia has said it will make changes to the doctrine that sets out the circumstances in which it might use nuclear weapons.

The current doctrine was set out by President Vladimir Putin in June 2020 in a six-page decree. It states, in part: “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and (or) its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation using conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state has been placed under threat.”

As this risk is not defined explicitly, Putin was able to make thinly veiled threats to use Russia’s nuclear arsenal to deter any direct Western response to his despatch of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin’s arms control point man, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, said on Sunday that the planned changes were “connected with the escalation course of our Western adversaries” in connection with the Ukraine conflict. He did not refer to specific events. Public discussion about the nuclear doctrine has been taking place for more than a year and intensified this year after French President Emmanuel Macron floated the possibility – dismissed by NATO alliance partners – that Western troops might be sent to fight in Ukraine.