Peru's next president, Keiko Fujimori, said she wants to fix the broken relationship between Peru and Mexico. The two countries stopped talking to each other in November 2025. "On my part, there will be every intention to restore relations between Peru and Mexico," she told reporters in Lima Al Jazeera.

What happened? Peru cut off ties with Mexico after Mexico allowed Betssy Chavez, a former Peruvian Prime Minister, to live there safely to avoid facing legal troubles at home. Peru's government at the time felt this was unfair—like Mexico was stepping into Peru's business. To show how serious they were, Peru went even further. It declared Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, not welcome in Peru and banned her from entering the country. This is a rare move that countries almost never take against leaders of nations they still do normal business with.

But Mexico has a different story about why relations fell apart. Mexico's government points to former President Pedro Castillo, who has been held in jail since December 2022 after he tried to take over the government by shutting down Congress. Mexico says Castillo is being held unfairly. "We are going to wait," Sheinbaum said when asked about Fujimori's wish to fix things, and added: "Peru broke off relations because we said that President Castillo is being held illegally. That is our point of view" Al Jazeera. Sheinbaum said she has not yet talked directly with Fujimori.

This difference matters. Mexico believes Peru is treating Castillo unfairly in court. Peru says Mexico should not interfere in its own legal system. The two countries disagree on whether another nation has the right to criticize how Peru handles its former leaders. News organizations around the world reported the story the same way—both leaders seemed open to talking, but neither had made any real agreements yet.

Fujimori won Peru's presidential election in June 2026. This was her fourth try for the job, and her first win. She will become president on July 28, 2026, which is Peru's Independence Day. She has about three weeks to try to fix things with Mexico before she officially takes office. Her father, Alberto Fujimori, was a former president of Peru who died in September 2024.

Here's where it gets tricky. Fixing the relationship is not just about two leaders being nice to each other. Peru and Mexico still disagree about whether Castillo's trial is fair. Mexico has not said it will change its mind. Fujimori has supporters in Peru who want Castillo to stay in jail. If she makes peace with Mexico, she has to do it in a way that does not look like she is giving up on punishing Castillo. Her own family has had run-ins with Peru's courts too—her father was convicted of crimes but later freed. Because of all this history, Fujimori has to be careful about what it looks like when foreign countries comment on Peru's legal cases.

Sheinbaum's answer—"we are going to wait"—suggests Mexico wants Peru to make the first move. Mexico is not yet saying it will reopen its embassy or bring back its ambassadors. Since Fujimori does not officially become president until July 28, the two countries will probably wait until after that date to do anything real like reopening embassies or talking about asylum rules again.

Whether the two countries actually become friends again may come down to finding words about the Castillo case that both sides can live with.