Ukraine's embassy in Mexico has called on the Mexican government to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends the October 1 swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, citing a pending international arrest warrant.

In a statement released on August 7, the Ukrainian embassy referred to Putin as a "war criminal" and expressed confidence that Mexico would comply with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023. The warrant alleges war crimes related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following Moscow's invasion in early 2022.

"We are confident that the Mexican government would comply in any case with the international arrest warrant by handing over the aforementioned (Putin) to the United Nations judicial body in The Hague," the embassy stated.

The request comes as Mexico prepares for a historic transition of power, with Sheinbaum set to become the country's first female president following her victory in the June 2 general election.

The 61-year-old climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor triumphed at the polls taking almost 60% of the vote as a candidate of the leftist Morena party, which was founded by incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2012.

Juan Ramon de la Fuente, Sheinbaum's designated foreign minister, explained that it was "standard protocol" to invite leaders from all countries with which Mexico maintains diplomatic relations to the inauguration. This includes both Russia and Ukraine.

The Ukrainian embassy also expressed gratitude to Mexico for extending an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the ceremony.

Both Putin and Zelensky were among the world leaders who congratulated Sheinbaum on her election win. However, the potential presence of Putin at the inauguration has now become a point of diplomatic tension, as Mexico is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and would be thus compelled to detain the Russian leader upon arrival if he were to travel to the country.

The quagmire highlights the complex geopolitical landscape Mexico must navigate as it prepares for this significant political event. It also underscores the ongoing international ramifications of the war in Ukraine, which continues to impact diplomatic relations worldwide.

As of now, there has been no official response from the Mexican government regarding Kyiv’s appeal or confirmation of Putin's attendance at the inauguration.