The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a major violation of sovereignty and international law. According to the International Criminal Court, Russia has committed crimes against humanity. That seems to matter very little to Mexico and Brazil. Presidents Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Lula Da Silva have closed ranks in total support for the aggressor in Ukraine and said no to the latest peace declaration.
The Ukraine Peace Summit, held in Switzerland last weekend, brought together representatives from more than 90 countries. At the end, a declaration was signed demanding respect for territorial integrity, the end of the nuclear threat and the return of Ukrainian children.
Twelve countries tacitly backed Putin’s invasion. Mexico, Brazil, India, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and other states did not sign the document signed by 80 democratic nations. Loyalty to Putin prevailed in the so-called Global South.
Colombia, which in 2017 established a cooperative framework with NATO, also did not sign the agreement. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, suddenly reported that he would not attend the meeting and criticized the initiative, stating that this effort would not contribute to peace but quite the opposite.
Mexican President Lopez Obrador did not go to the summit and did not support the declaration for peace. Emboldened by the recent election results, Mexico refused to sign the resolution in favor of Ukrainian children, maritime transit and the end of the nuclear threat. The position was regrettable but predictable. The Mexican president has been strong supporter of the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes and a harsh critic of the policies of Mexico’s main trading partner, the U.S.
Brazilian President Da Silva has also ratified his support for Russia and his contempt for Ukraine and Israel. President Lula did not go to the Peace Summit but his government closed ranks in favor of Putin. Latin America’s largest democracy embraced the bloody narrative of the Russian Federation.
Lula has an extraordinary record of corruption and of defending dictators and criminals against humanity. He has applauded Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, supported the Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela and financed the modern slavery of doctors in Cuba, the dictatorship that has been in power for 65 years.
Argentine President Javier Milei, in contrast, ratified his unwavering commitment to freedom. Milei was harsh and clear against Putin and his crimes against humanity. Argentina defended Ukraine’s right to live in peace, sovereignty and freedom.
Chile also supported the resolution for peace in Ukraine, but its leftist president, Gabriel Boric, could not resist the opportunity to compare Russia with Israel. This grotesque moral equivalency fails out of the gate because Israel did not start its war with Hamas.
Luis Abinader, president of the Dominican Republic, participated in the Peace Summit in Ukraine. His presence was critical, particularly because the Dominican Republic has an important leadership role in Central America and the Caribbean.
The Peace Summit showed that Latin America is very divided over Ukraine, perhaps because of the weak state of its democracies, and due to its economic and political conflicts. Another factor may be the lack of proactive leadership committed to the Latin American agenda in recent years.
Mexico and Brazil represent the two largest democracies in Latin America. Their inclination toward global tyrannies is damaging and dangerous. They have preferred to stain their hands with blood defending Putin and his latent threats in the face of an unprecedented nuclear conflict.
Although 80 world democracies rejected that approach, the largest democracies of Latin America looked atomized, small and faint-hearted in the face of a great and extraordinary threat to humanity and world peace.
Arturo McFields Yescas is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps.