Mexico has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to attend the Oct. 1 inauguration of President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported on Aug. 7, citing the Mexican embassy in Russia.
A representative from the Mexican embassy said that "an invitation to attend President Sheinbaum's inauguration has been sent to President Putin," according to the Russian state news outlet Izvestia. The representative also noted, the Russian President "will decide whether he will participate in the ceremony personally or delegate a high-ranking official to represent him."
Mexico's foreign ministry later told Reuters that the government had sent diplomatic notes to all countries with which it maintains relations, as well as to international organizations of which it is a member, inviting them to Sheinbaum's inauguration.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion that started in February 2022.
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.