Ukraine asks Mexico to arrest Putin if he attends inauguration

Ukraine has asked the Mexican government to arrest Russian ruler Vladimir Putin under an International Criminal Court warrant if he attends the inauguration of President Claudia Sheinbaum on 1 October.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Mexico acknowledged on Facebook the fact that Mexico invites representatives of all countries with which it has diplomatic relations to the inauguration, but it reminded the country of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) warrant for Putin's arrest.

"We hope that the Mexican government is aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal suspected of abducting and forcibly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, whose arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court, whose jurisdiction Mexico recognises...

We believe that Mexico will execute the international arrest warrant by handing over the abovementioned [individual] to the UN judicial body in The Hague," the statement reads.

Earlier, it became known that the team of Claudia Sheinbaum, the newly elected President of Mexico, in coordination with Juan Ramon de la Fuente, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, began sending invitations to presidents of different countries to attend Sheinbaum's inauguration on 1 October. One of the official invitations was sent to Putin.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, finding him guilty of illegally deporting thousands of children from Ukraine.

The issuance of the warrant means that Putin can be arrested if he travels to any ICC member state.