The Ukrainian embassy in Mexico on Aug. 7 asked the Mexican government to arrest Russian leader Vladimir Putin if he attends the inauguration of president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. The embassy called Putin a war criminal and expressed gratitude to Mexico for inviting President Volodymyr Zelensky to the ceremony on Oct. 1.
"We trust that the Mexican government will comply with the international arrest warrant and hand over the aforementioned (Putin) to the United Nations judicial body in The Hague," the embassy said.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin over allegations of war crimes, specifically the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following Moscow's invasion in early 2022.
Juan Ramon de la Fuente, selected to be Sheinbaum's foreign minister, explained that it is "standard protocol" to invite the leaders of all countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations, including both Russia and Ukraine, to the inauguration.
While Russia is not a member of the ICC, Mexico is. Despite this, the two countries have been strengthening their relationship. Putin congratulated Sheinbaum on her victory in June, referring to Mexico as Russia's "historically friendly partner" in Latin America.
Sheinbaum, poised to become Mexico's first female president, won a historic victory in the general election on June 2 and will commence her six-year term in October. Both Putin and Zelensky were among the world leaders who congratulated her.
Olena Goncharova
