Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived on a state visit to Mongolia, which lies along the route of a planned new natural gas pipeline linking Russia to China.

Russia has been in talks for years to build the pipeline that would transport 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from its own Yamal region in China through Mongolia.

The project, dubbed Power of Siberia 2, is part of Russia’s strategy to make up for the losses it has suffered in sales in Europe since the war in Ukraine began. It is the planned successor to an existing pipeline of the same name that already supplies China with Russian natural gas and is expected to reach its planned capacity of 38 billion cubic meters in 2025.

The new venture has long been mired in key issues such as gas pricing. However, Putin said on the eve of his visit that preparatory work, including feasibility studies and technical studies, was proceeding according to schedule.

Tomorrow he is expected to hold talks with the Mongolian president Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

Ukraine last week called on Mongolia to arrest Putin based on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court last year, when it accused him of war crimes by illegally transporting hundreds of children from Ukraine to Russia.

The Kremlin has rejected the accusation, saying the ICC ruling was politically motivated and saying it is not concerned about Putin’s visit.

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 soil.

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