Putin refuses to fly to Mexico's presidential inauguration, despite security assurances
Russian leader Vladimir Putin (photo: kremlin.ru)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not fly to the inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. This trip was allegedly not part of his plans, states the Director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Aleksandr Shchetinin.
“We have received such an invitation, we are grateful to the Mexican side for this,” he said.
However, he did not give a clear answer as to why Putin refused to visit Mexico, saying only that Moscow “acts in accordance with protocol practice.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador emphasized that it is “impossible to detain Putin and it is not up to them.” However, Mexico is one of the countries party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. And it was the ICC that issued the arrest warrant for Putin.
Background
On August 7, Mexico invited Putin to the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum, which will take place on October 1. Ukraine's embassy called for Putin to be arrested if he arrives, as Mexico recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICC. The EU has also called on Mexico to arrest him.
An arrest warrant for Putin was issued by the ICC in March 2023 for the abduction of Ukrainian children, and he has since avoided traveling to countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute.
Not the first country to “guarantee” Putin's safety
On September 2, Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia. According to the Kremlin press service, Putin came to Mongolia at the invitation of President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh.
Since Mongolia has ratified the Rome Statute, it is obliged to comply with the decision of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the deportation of Ukrainian children. However, the country has not done so.
As explained by the Mongolian government, the country cannot arrest Putin because it is dependent on imports of Russian energy products.
