Latin America Reacts to Invasion of Ukraine

Early Thursday morning, Russian forces launched an invasion of Ukraine, following a decision on Monday to recognize two eastern Ukrainian provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent republics. In response, the United States and other NATO member states announced a tranche of multilateral sanctions to hold Russia accountable for its actions. The sanctions aim to isolate Russia’s financial system, block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and target Russian oligarchs and public officials.

Mexico and Brazil, current non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), were among the first to react to the latest developments. In an emergency UNSC meeting held Monday, Mexico’s representative called for the respect of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, while Brazil’s ambassador advocated for a peaceful resolution and the respect of the UN Charter principles and Minsk Agreements. While neither country explicitly condemned Russia in their initial statements, subsequent declarations from Mexican officials have done so.

Following the invasion, the Caribbean Community, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay condemned Russia’s attacks on the Ukrainian people. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Panama called for the immediate cessation of hostilities but did not directly condemn Russia. Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua blamed the United States and NATO for hostilities and praised Russia’s decision to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. As of Friday, El Salvador remained the only government in the region to have made no statement regarding the conflict in Ukraine.