For one thing, we know they’ve recently elected a new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and that her inauguration is scheduled for October 1st of this year. What was recently disclosed was that included on their invitation list is none other than Vladimir Putin.

Well, I only know of one Vladimir Putin. And yes, the Mexican Embassy in Moscow has confirmed that “Russia’s invitation to take part in the inauguration of President Sheinbaum was sent to President Putin.”

In and of itself, such an invitation wouldn’t seem strange; after all, the Mexican government (as stated by its Foreign Ministry) has sent them to “all nations with which it [has] relations, as well as international organizations of which it is a member.” [Reuters, August 6, 2024.] Perfectly normal, and in accordance with international protocol.

But . . .

But the International Criminal Court (ICC), of which Mexico is a member, issued a warrant against Putin in 2023, charging him with war crimes in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Which means that Mexico would be obligated to place Putin under arrest if he were to set foot on Mexican soil. Awkward.

However . . .

It seems that Mexico has not severed ties with Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, as many other countries have. In fact, when Putin congratulated President-Elect Sheinbaum on her election victory, he said that Mexico is Russia’s “historically friendly partner in Latin America.” [Reuters, id.]

Of course, it’s up to Putin to accept or decline the invitation as he sees fit; he could very well send an emissary, such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. And if he’s smart, that is exactly what he will do.

So the invitation by itself isn’t a big deal. What is concerning is that our next-door neighbor to the south continues to maintain friendly relations with the Putin regime . . . even having included a Russian military unit in Mexico’s independence day parade in September of 2023, despite engendering severe criticism from other nations.

We share a border with Mexico, which means we share many mutual concerns with them: trade, immigration, drug enforcement, to name just three. The idea of Vladimir Putin oozing his way further into Mexico’s good graces is simply — to use a favorite word of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov — unacceptable.

Let us hope that Mexico’s new president will see it that way.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/8/24