Mexico declines to impose economic sanctions on Russia
Mexico will not impose any economic sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.
“We are not going to take any sort of economic reprisal because we want to have good relations with all the governments in the world,” Lopez Obrador stated.
His position stands in contrast to the broad international sanctions imposed on Russia for President Vladimir Putin’s actions.
Russia has built strong links to various governments in Latin America, especially authoritarian administrations in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, but its ties with Mexico are seen to be limited due to the strong U.S.-Mexico relations.
The Mexican and U.S. economies are deeply intertwined. But leftist leader Lopez Obrador has at times had testy relations with the United States and has criticized U.S. foreign policy.
Late on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard by phone, “reiterating the worldwide call for the withdrawal of Russia’s troops from Ukraine,” he said.
Ebrard condemned the invasion and demanded Russia end its military operations in Ukraine.
The Mexican president also criticized what he characterized as the censorship of Russian state media.
“I don’t agree with the fact that media from Russia or any country is censored.”
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Reuters
