Mexico: On August 8, Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador dismissed a request from Ukraine's government to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends the inauguration of Mexico's next president in October, despite an international arrest warrant.

We can't do that, Lpez Obrador told reporters during a regular press conference. It's not up to us.

Ukraine had asked Mexico to detain Putin should he show up at the October 1 swearing-in ceremony for President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum. This request, issued by Ukraine's embassy in Mexico on August 7, cited an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Peter Stano, a spokesperson for foreign affairs at the European Commission, informed Euractiv that Mexico, as a member of the ICC, has a legal obligation to arrest Putin if he attends the inauguration in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum's team has extended an invitation to the Russian president, having previously sent a diplomatic notice to all countries with which Mexico has diplomatic relations.

Ukraine's embassy expressed hope that the Mexican government recognizes Putin as a war criminal with an arrest warrant, highlighting allegations that he ordered the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. The embassy expressed confidence in Mexico's compliance.

The ICC issued a warrant for Putin's arrest last year, accusing him of war crimes related to the illegal deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Although Russia is not a member of the ICC, Mexico is. In June, Putin congratulated Sheinbaum on her election victory and referred to Mexico as a historically friendly partner of Russia in Latin America.