Mexican president-elect defends inviting Putin to inauguration while Ukraine asks for his detention

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum defended the decision to invite her soon-to-be Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to her inauguration in October, following backlash and the Ukrainian embassy's request for the country to detain him upon arrival given the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him.

"They are diplomatic letters normally sent in the context of inaugurations and sent to all countries with which we have relations," Sheinbaum said in a press conference. She claimed such invitations are not "something out of the ordinary" and added that her predecessors did so as well.

Although the presence of Putin has not been confirmed, the possibility has dominated the political conversation in the country over the past hours, with the Ukrainian embassy in the country reacting with a letter.

The message starts by acknowledging that many countries are invited to such events, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but quickly moves on to claim that Mexico "is aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who has an arrest warrant for unlawful deportation of population unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia by the International Criminal Court, whose jurisdiction Mexico recognizes."

"This shameful crime will be one of the many reasons why Putin, along with the rest of the Russian political and military brass will someday face justice after launching a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, approving the bombing, killing, torturing, raping and looting of the Ukrainian people. We trust the Mexican government would comply with the international arrest warrant handing the mentioned person (Putin) to the UN's judicial body in The Hague," the letter adds.

Sheinbaum has not reacted to Ukraine's letter. However, despite the argument about most countries being invited to the inauguration, the incoming president did clarify that other nations with which Mexico is currently having diplomatic rifts, like Ecuador and Peru, won't be invited to the event. Current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has not said Russia is an aggressor in its war in Ukraine and has sought to convey the message that both parties bear responsibility in the ongoing conflict.