After President Andrés Manuel López Obrador refused to support the people of Ukraine by sending weapons and military equipment to fight the Russian army, the Ambassador of Ukraine, Oksana Dramarétska, once again asked the Mexican government to break the diplomatic and commercial relations with the Kremlin. To date, Mexico has only vocally supported Ukraine and has stated they will continue diplomatic and trade relations with Russia.
During a meeting, the Ukrainian diplomat thanked the solidarity of Mexicans in the face of the Russian invasion, as well as the votes of support of the government before the United Nations Organization (UN); however, she considered it unacceptable that there are those who continue their relations with a country that she described as oppressive.
“We hope that Mexico joins the actions of the international community, such as economic sanctions, isolation, and exclusion of Russia from all possible forums. I would like to be able to convey to my government that, on these issues, we can count on the support of Mexican legislators […] We consider it unacceptable to maintain relations with an aggressor regime that openly attacks a neighboring country without cause, motive, or prior notice.”
President López Obrador argues that Mexico does not send weapons anywhere because “we are pacifists” and that the support will only be “humanitarian”, in response, Dramarétska released a forceful statement:
“We understand the ‘non-intervention’ position of the Mexican government. But as the saying goes: tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are.”
With a broken voice, the ambassador told legislators from the PAN, PRI, PRD, and MC political parties, that Russian troops have invaded and bombed several cities in her country, which has left more than 1,300 civilians dead and has caused more than 2 million people to leave Ukraine.
However, she assured that her country will not accept any ultimatum from the Vladimir Putin regime.
Her speech received a standing ovation from lawmakers across all party lines.
Dramarétska took the opportunity to ask the Legislative Branch not to send the Mexican Air Force planes empty, but to send them with humanitarian aid and with Ukrainian men living in Mexico who want to go to Ukraine to fight for their country against the Russians.
“We need everything, all help is welcome. We need humanitarian aid is why I came here today. If not weapons, humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian people.”
On March 9, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, reported on his Twitter account that the second plane of the Mexican Air Force (FAM) that would travel to Europe would carry 1.5 tons of mattresses and medicines for refugees in Romania.
Through social networks, the MC deputies, Salomón Chertorivski and Jorge Álvarez Máynez, thanked Dramarétska for her visit and expressed their absolute support for her.
On March 2, the chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, said he is not surprised that the Mexican government is against imposing sanctions on Russia.
“I am not surprised that President (Andrés Manuel) López Obrador takes that position. I think that is the wrong position. I do not think that Mexico would like the world to remain isolated if another country was invading Mexico, I would like the international community to be sanctioning that country that is invading,” he said.
“So to stand aside, to stand on your own, when the rest of the world is acting, is to ally yourself with the oppressor. I see that Mexico is taking the side of the oppressor that is Russia and Putin ”, concluded Menendez.
