The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, asked Mexico on Thursday for support to organize a summit with Latin American countries that will help put an end to the Russian invasion, according to a message he gave by video call to Mexican deputies.
“Ukraine has already proposed to the Latin American community to organize a special summit and show its unity and position on important global principles of territorial integrity, peace and respect between peoples,” Zelensky said with the support of a translator.
“I think that with the help of Mexico that could be much faster,” the one who denounced the Russian invasion of his country added in the link.
The call occurred at the initiative of the deputies that make up the “Mexico-Ukraine Friendship Group” in the lower house. Some of those legislators even visited the Ukrainian capital last year.
Zelenski raised the summit on February 24 on the first anniversary of the war by assuring that his country seeks to get closer to Latin America and Africa to counteract Moscow’s influence.
The president invited Mexico to support his plan to end the conflict, which, among other things, includes the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory.
“I invite you to choose which point of the peace formula will allow Mexico to show its leadership?” he said.
The Mexican government has already condemned the Russian invasion and on February 23 voted in favor of a UN resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
However, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador refused to impose sanctions on Russia or send military aid to Ukraine, assuring that his government seeks to promote dialogue to achieve peace, in a position similar to that adopted by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil.
In September of last year, López Obrador even proposed a dialogue committee to end the conflict that would include the Prime Minister of India, Narenda Modi, Pope Francis, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The Mexican president has also criticized the United States‘ military support for Ukraine, accusing that Washington has not focused enough on helping Central American countries that expel migrants.
Zelenski’s call to the Mexican deputies comes after the diplomatic friction that Lula has had over his statements on the conflict, which prompted Washington to lash out at Brasilia for “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda.”
It also occurs in the middle of a tour of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, through Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.