Ukraine asks Mexico to stop Putin if he comes to Sheinbaum’s inauguration

In response to the invitation to various world leaders, such as Vladimir Putin, to her inauguration as the next president of the Republic, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo pointed out that these are only protocolary actions.

“No, there is no confirmation and it is something that is normally done and is Mexico’s foreign policy,” he said.

The next Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, explained that these invitations are “diplomatic notes” to announce that there will be a change in the Presidency in Mexico.

“This is a protocol practice that basically consists of sending a diplomatic note to all the countries with which Mexico has relations without making any exceptions. Once this diplomatic note is sent, there is a reaction from the countries and then we begin to see in more detail who will come as the person in charge or as the head of that mission to the event,” said the next foreign minister.

At a press conference, she said that this was also done because there is a “great expectation” regarding Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration, as she said that on election day, international newspapers celebrated the victory of the Morena candidate.

“The truth is that the headlines in the world’s media, some celebrated with great enthusiasm and others perhaps with astonishment, but they all celebrated the overwhelming triumph of Dr. Sheinbaum,” she said.

He commented that they do not yet know which world leaders will come to Mexico, but he pointed out that they have great expectations that “a good number of leaders will come to the inauguration and we have to see how each country decides who to send.”

Sheinbaum’s invitation to Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s inauguration as the first female president in Mexico’s history.

According to the Russian state news agency TACC, the Russian president will decide whether to take part in the ceremony himself or appoint another high-ranking official to do so on his behalf.

The Russian Embassy in Mexico City informed TACC that “the invitation to the inauguration ceremony of the President of Mexico has been received by the Russian side.”

In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for war crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian state agency notes that Mexico is subject to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), so Putin’s visit could be complicated.

Putin has already congratulated Sheinbaum on her victory in the June electoral process.

In recent months, the Russian president said that Mexico is “a traditionally friendly partner of Russia in the Latin American region.”

Sheinbaum will receive the presidential sash from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on October 1 of this year.

In May of this year, Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a fifth term as Russian president, until 2030, with a call to his compatriots to win “together” in the conflict in Ukraine.

Re-election with more than 87% of the votes served to evoke the image of a “united” Russia behind him and his army.

Leading figures in Russia’s opposition are now in exile or in prison, as are hundreds of citizens who have expressed their opposition to Moscow’s offensive against kyiv.

The Kremlin has also stepped up its crackdown on sexual minorities, claiming to defend “traditional values” against a West it views as degenerate.

-With information from Reuters and AFP.